


Time Won't Let Me (Part Two)

by Ketch22, wegoddessofhell



Series: Time Won't Let Me [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, Supernatural
Genre: Blood and Violence, M/M, Mild Smut, Multiple Crossovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 11:57:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 63,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18468487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ketch22/pseuds/Ketch22, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wegoddessofhell/pseuds/wegoddessofhell
Summary: Dean and Castiel survived last year's Choosing. Will they be so lucky again?(This is the second part of the Time Won't Let Me series. If you do not read Part One, it will not make sense.)





	1. Bus Stop

**Author's Note:**

> THE CHAPTER PLAYLIST:  
> 1) Bus Stop - The Hollies  
> 2) Psychotic Reaction - Count Five  
> 3) Fly Away - Lenny Kravitz  
> 4) What Is And What Should Never Be - Led Zeppelin  
> 5) No Time - The Guess Who  
> 6) Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana  
> 7) We Gotta Get Outta This Place- The Animals  
> 8) A Little Less Conversation - Elvis Presley  
> 9) The Letter - The Box Tops  
> 10) Midnight Confessions - The Grass Roots

_ Castiel  _

 

Castiel folded the last of his clothes that he was planning on bringing back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his  _ final _ year, and set them in his suitcase. 

He’d be entering in seventh year and it was insane to think about everything he’d been through since starting there and receiving his letter seven years ago.

Before he got his letter, he was living at home with his mother and father, and his grandmother who was quite ill. His father was a wizard, his grandmother a witch, but his mother was a muggle.

In Castiel’s fourth year at Hogwarts he received a letter from home:

 

_ Dear Castiel, _

 

_ I am writing to inform you of the sudden passing of both your father and your grandmother.  _

_ Your grandmother passed peacefully in her sleep, whereas your father suffered a major heart attack. I am heartbroken as I write this and wish to inform you that your mother will be living with me.  _

_ There isn’t much room in my tiny house, so please only come home when absolutely necessary. My deepest condolences, Castiel. _

 

_ Love always, _

_ Aunt Naomi.  _

 

Castiel shifted on his feet at the memory and zipped up his suitcase. He collected his belongings and tucked his wand into the waistband of his jeans. He’d wait till he was on the train to put his robes on, he’d look a little funny walking through the train station in them.

“Castiel, hurry up! We’re going to be late!”

He looked towards the trapdoor that separated his room from the rest of the house as he heard Aunt Naomi. He cleared his throat and looked at himself in the mirror once more. 

Giving himself a nod of encouragement, he pulled back the trapdoor and descended the ladder from his attic bedroom. He pushed the trapdoor closed and then took the main stairs down to the kitchen.

“Good morning, Castiel,” Aunt Naomi smiled small, looking to Castiel. “Are you excited to go back to Hogwarts?”Castiel nodded and grabbed a piece of toast off of the plate, hopping up on the counter. “You have no idea.”

Aunt Naomi swatted at him with a towel and he blocked it with his hand, laughing quietly as he slid off the counter. “How’s uh…  _ Lailah _ this morning?”

Lailah was Castiel’s mother’s name and he often referred to her as this. She was still his mom, yes, but she hadn’t been the same since his dad and grandmother died.

Aunt Naomi sighed. “There hasn’t been any change, Castiel. She’s still very out of it.”He tensed and looked to the ground. “Aunt Naomi, it’s been three years.”

“You musn’t give up on her, Castiel. She would have never given up on you. You know that,” Aunt Naomi scolded him. “Now, go tell her goodbye and meet me in the car.”

Castiel kept his eyes down but heard Aunt Naomi leave the kitchen.  _ She has given up on me. Why doesn’t anyone understand that? _

He had only taken a bite of his toast, but suddenly wasn’t very hungry anymore. He set the toast back on the plate and slowly walked into the living room where his mother was sitting, in her rocking chair as usual.

“Hey, mom,” Castiel started slowly. He didn’t get a response and he had honestly become

quite accustomed to not getting one. “I’m uh- I’m leaving to go back to Hogwarts now.” 

He watched her shift his eyes to him and he took a deep breath.  _ This is more of a response than I’ve gotten all summer.  _ He carefully sat down on the chair beside hers and took her hand gently.

“I enjoyed getting to see you this summer. Perhaps you and Aunt Naomi can make it out to my graduation this year. It would be lovely to see you there.” He squeezed her hand.

His mother… _ Lailah,  _ she looked lost. Confused too, but mainly lost. She had fallen into this hole and hadn’t been able to pull herself out. Castiel remembered the summer of his fourth year when he came home and saw her. He couldn’t believe she used to be his upbeat, cheery mother. 

But she did, and now she just looked lost. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I’ll be home again next summer if I don’t see you sooner, okay?”

She blinked and for the first time this entire summer, spoke. “I love you, Michael.”He flicked his eyes between hers and stood abruptly.  _ Michael was your husband, Lailah. I’m not dad.  _ He didn’t have the heart to tell her that again. His mother didn’t speak much, but when she did she often confused him with his father. Instead, he moved back to the doorway of the living room and looked back at her. “I know, mom. Me too.”

He quickly turned and grabbed his suitcase at the bottom of the stairs before leaving the house.

\--------------------------------

Aunt Naomi looked over at him as he got in the car. “Did you say your goodbyes?”He nodded and stayed quiet for a long moment. “Yes.”“Good.” Aunt Naomi started the car and drove in silence for a while before she finally spoke again. “Did she say anything to you?”

_ I don’t even know if she knew who I was.  _ “No, nothing.” He shook his head at kept his gaze out the window. 

“She loves you, Castiel. You need to know that,” Aunt Naomi spoke quietly. “She really does.”

“Yeah, I know.” Castiel nodded and then cleared his throat. “Take good care of her, okay? I think she’s particularly…  _ sensitive _ right now.”“I always do, Castiel. You haven’t a need to worry about her.”

Castiel knew that was true, Aunt Naomi took amazing care of his mother. He just wanted to make sure. 

“Alright, we’re here,” Aunt Naomi spoke and she almost sounded sad. “Be good, Castiel. Enjoy your final year.”

He smiled slightly and nodded to her. “Thank you, Aunt Naomi. For everything.”

He left the car and round to the trunk, grabbing his suitcase out of it. He waved to Aunt Naomi again as she left, Castiel realizing he was alone again.

As he made his way towards Platform 9 and ¾, the familiar feeling of butterflies fled his stomach as they often did on September 1st. 

\----------------------------------------

After helping a few first years who were lost, Castiel eventually got himself through the solid wall that was Platform 9 and ¾. 

When he landed and steadied himself, a grin slowly appeared on his face. Standing not more than two feet away from him was Dean Winchester. 

_ Dean always did have a habit of showing up exactly when I needed him most. _

 

_ Dean _

Dean had done well enough on his exams that he was permitted to go back to Hogwarts, but that’s about all that could be said of his results. He had been absolutely correct about his dad’s reaction to another owl showing up, and if it wasn’t for the fact that Hogwarts didn’t use the muggle grading system, he was sure he would have gotten his ass beat. As it was, he was able to convince his dad that the “P” he got in Dark Arts stood for “passing” instead of “poor,” and that his “A” in Charms wasn’t the lowest possible passing grade he could have received. 

He was wrong about his Christmas present, however, as none came. He wasn’t entirely upset about this fact, but it now meant that the last family tradition they had was over. They were now just four people living in a house together, and his heart broke all over again for Sam. The summer seemed to drag on because of this, but September 1st eventually came, and Sam and Dean made their way back to Platform 9 ¾. 

Dean turned when he heard the  _ whoosh  _ that signaled someone else coming through the barrier. He grinned widely when he saw it was Cass, and abandoned his cart full of baggage to pull him into a tight hug. 

“Heya angel.” 

Castiel grinned and hugged Dean back, letting go of his suitcase. “I missed you.”

Dean didn’t want to let go, so he didn’t. “Yeah, you too. Your summer okay?”

“Can’t complain,” he nodded and made no move to let go either. “How about yours?”

Dean was vaguely aware of people starting to stare at them. He cleared his throat, pulling back but staying close. “Oh y’know, it was uhh… it was fine. C’mon, let’s go find an empty compartment before all the friggen first years take ‘em.” 

Cass nodded and grabbed his suitcase, walking onto the train. He found a spot down a little bit and sat down, pulling Dean with him.

Dean grinned, stowing his baggage above the seat and sliding the compartment door shut. He turned to Cass, his voice quiet. “Come here.”

Castiel got up and moved over to Dean with a small grin. “What is it?”

Dean put both hands on Castiel’s face and kissed him, pulling back long enough to say, “This,  _ assbutt _ .” 

“Oh, shut up.” He leaned in and kissed him again, brushing his thumb over Dean’s cheek.

Dean heard the sound of several pairs of feet shuffling outside of the compartment door, so he pulled back again and sat down with a smirk. “Don’t wanna give these people a show, we better wait until the rest get settled.” 

Castiel chuckled quietly, biting his lip. “You know, I was half scared that I was going to come back here and you would’ve changed your mind.”

“I did, about eighty friggen times. Luckily for you, you caught me on a good day, so I guess this is my final answer. For now, anyway, I mean…” Dean’s smirk finally faded. “Nothin’ really changed… at home, I mean. All the shit that was wrong last year is still wrong this year, but…” He shrugged, chewing on his lip and looking at the floor. “I also know I don’t wanna spend another year pretending to fight with you.” 

Castiel watched him, tilting Dean’s chin up. “So don’t fight with me then. Let’s just- let’s be friends to everyone’s faces, but if you want, maybe we can be…  _ more _ behind the scenes?”

Dean nodded, his lip still caught between his teeth. “Yeah, I’m done tryin’ to pretend like I don’t, but I can’t really ask you to do that. It’s not fair to you to have to hide, especially when you’ve got Helm and his goons constantly giving you shit about not bein’ with anyone.”

He swallowed hard and shrugged. “I’ve dealt with it for the past six years, what’s one more, right?”

Dean’s stomach flipped, because he’d forgotten this was Cass’s last year at Hogwarts. He knew when June rolled around, he might be saying goodbye to him for the last time because without the cover of school, he didn’t really see how they were going to make this work. “Okay, angel. Whatever you say.” He opened his mouth to say something else, but the compartment door slid open and Sam, Sirius and Newt stuck their faces in. 

“Oh good, you guys have room.” Sirius pushed his way in between Newt and Sam, giving the latter a dirty look - probably because he was huge and hard to get around.

Castiel breathed out and tried to stay as close to Dean as he possibly could, watching them file in and offering a smile. “Hi, guys.”

Newt’s bowtruckle Groot scurried onto Castiel’s lap and looked up at him as Newt took the seat on Cass’ other side. Sam and Sirius sat down across from them, all three of the newcomers saying variations of greetings in response. Sam looked at Dean and jerked his head towards Cass. “Thought you hated this guy?” 

Dean’s face turned red and he shook his head quickly. “We uhh… we set aside our differences.” 

Castiel heard Sam and his face momentarily showed  _ hurt _ , but he cleared his throat and composed himself. “Uh, exactly.”

Sirius looked back and forth between Dean and Castiel with raised eyebrows. “Set aside your differences, eh? There’s a spell strong enough to lift all of them?” Dean stuck his leg out and kicked Sirius, muttering how extremely  _ not  _ funny he was.

Castiel looked over at Newt and then down at the bowtruckle. “Uh, Newt, do you mind?”

Newt shook his head, his eyes somewhere just to Castiel’s left. “Not at all, I’ve been trying to get him to socialize more, this is a big step for him.”

Dean’s eyebrows scrunched together as he looked at the bowtruckle, but he looked over at Sam. “Hey, why aren’t you with Alyssa?”

Sam shrugged. “She’s a few compartment’s down with her other friends, I was gonna join her soon.”

Dean nodded.  _ One down, two to go.  _ “Sirius, where the hell is the rest of your little posse? James is probably pining over you somewhere.”

Sirius shrugged. “I spent almost all summer with him, Remus and Peter. I needed to talk to someone with a slightly higher IQ for a change.” He paused for just a moment and Dean grinned, but that grin quickly disappeared as Sirius finished his thought. “Shame you lot were the only ones around.” Dean kicked him again.

Even Castiel chuckled at that one. “Where’s Finnick? Isn’t he always around somewhere?”Newt pointed out the window. “He’s there, I think he’s saying goodbye to his grandmother.” Newt looked over at Sirius and Sam. “You guys might want to make room.”

Dean spoke up, because he was supposed to be getting  _ rid  _ of people, not adding extras. “How’s he supposed to fit in here with Sirius’s giant head? It’s a miracle the rest of us can still even breathe.” 

Sirius rolled his eyes, but nodded. “It is quite stuffy in here, isn’t it?”

Castiel cleared his throat again and nodded. “Yes, very. Very stuffy in here.”

“Yeah, so maybe some of you guys should clear out, make some ro--” Dean was cut off by the compartment door opening again, and sure enough Finnick Odair squeezed his way inside and sat down directly across from Dean. 

Dean groaned, and Finnick grinned. “Don’t look so happy to see me, Winchester. I might start to think you actually missed me.” 

Truth be told, Dean  _ had  _ missed Finnick. He’d missed all of them, but he missed one in particular just a little bit -- a  _ lot  _ more. He offered Cass an apologetic glance and leaned back against his seat. “How could anyone miss your ego, Finn? I’m pretty sure it reaches clear to the damn moon.”

Castiel sighed quietly, but chuckled at Dean’s comment. Finnick grinned and winked at Dean. “Only to the moon? Is there anything higher than the moon? Cuz I’m pretty sure that’s where it’d reach.”

Dean only groaned louder. Sam leaned forward, looking around Sirius to Finnick. “Hey, man. How was your summer?”

Finnick shrugged and kicked his feet up so they were on Dean’s lap, folding his hands behind his head. “Oh, y’know. Didn’t do much. How about you, Sammy? How was yours?”

Dean frowned  _ deeply  _ at the legs on his lap. “What the --” He picked up both of Finn’s legs and used them as an excuse to scoot closer to Cass, setting the legs down on the seat to his other side. 

Sam went off on a tangent about all of the spells he taught himself, and how he read  _ Hogwarts, A History  _ a half a dozen times.

“Half a dozen!” Sirius cut in. “I haven’t even read it  _ once.”  _

Sam looked at him and sighed. “I can lend it to you if you’ll  _ actually _ read it.”

Sirius shook his head violently, which Dean laughed at.

The bowtruckle on Cass’s knee hopped back over to its owner and disappeared into Newt’s robes, and Dean moved his knee just enough to brush against Cass’ without making it obvious.

 

_ Castiel _

 

Castiel’s body tensed as he looked quickly to Dean’s knee. He’d been worked up the entire summer, and now he was back with Dean and it was being interrupted by four other men that Castiel certainly did  _ not _ want.

Castiel cleared his throat and looked to Sirius. “I think I hear James calling you. Dean, you hear it too, right?”

Dean looked confused, and then it was as if a lightbulb went off over his head. He nodded quickly. “Yeah, yeah I hear it. You better go, Sirius, you know how he gets.” 

Sirius frowned at both of them. “I don’t hear anything, but you’re probably right. What would he do without me?” He stood, stepping over Finnick’s still outstretched legs, opening the door and disappearing back into the main part of the train. 

Castiel grinned slightly, and then looked to Sam. “And Sam, Alyssa’s probably missing you, isn’t she?”

Sam grinned. “Yeah, I miss her too. I’ll see you guys at the feast, okay?” He stood, mimicking the movements Sirius had used to get over Finnick’s legs. It was decidedly less graceful since Sam had several inches on Sirius (and he’s taller), so it was slightly harder to manage. Sam disappeared out of the compartment, leaving just Finnick and Newt. 

Dean seemed to have gotten the hint. He nudged Finnick’s legs off of the seat. “Shouldn’t you be drooling over Lisa or something?”

Finnick scoffed. “Lisa? Have you  _ seen _ Annie Cresta? She’s fuckin’ stunning.”

Castiel raised his eyebrows. “Annie Cresta… the Hufflepuff, Annie Cresta?”Finnick nodded. “No, Novak. The  _ other _ one.” 

Castiel rolled his eyes as Finnick stood, leaving the compartment and mumbling something about how Cass and Annie were on the same Quidditch team, and Castiel must just be blind. 

Newt shifted to the seat across from them, looking back and forth between them. “I don’t exactly have a lot of other friends, but I could take an extended bathroom break if the two of you would like to get… reacquainted.” 

Castiel furrowed his eyebrows. “Where’s Justin? Rue, even? They’ve gotta be around here somewhere. Or Charlie?”

Newt simply stood. “Justin Finch-Fletchley no longer attends Hogwarts, he’s finished his seventh year.” He walked towards the door, pausing for a moment and angling his head down and back to address them again. “For the record, I’m happy for you both. And I won’t say a word, on my honour.” He left, smiling slightly. 

Dean stood up, peeking his head out of the doorway and looking back and forth. “Okay, I think we’re finally in the clear. I didn’t think they were ever gonna leave.” He shut the door and turned back to Cass. “Did you tell Newt about us? It’s fine if you did, I actually believe him when he says he won’t tell anyone.”

Cass shook his head. “I didn’t tell him, but it’s nice to know he’s going to stay quiet about it.”

Dean reached out and pulled Cass to his feet again. “One day, I swear to god, I’m gonna tell the whole world. I don’t know when, we might be 105 when it happens… but one day I’m gonna make sure everyone knows.” He pulled him closer and kissed him again.

Castiel felt his heart break a little bit because he knew that was unlikely. He kissed Dean back anyways and smiled as best he could, pulling back only to say, “I know you will, Dean. I know.”

Dean sat back down, pulling Cass with him again. “I know you don’t believe me, but it’s true. I nearly told Sammy this summer.”

Castiel swallowed hard and smiled through his lie. “I do believe you, Dean. I just… I don’t care if no one knows. If it’s easier on you then… then so be it. I don’t mind.”

Dean frowned for a moment, then pulled Cass to his side and put an arm around him. “I’m gonna figure it out, okay? Either way, I don’t care if you’re fine with it or not, cuz I’m not fine with it. It shouldn’t have to be like this and I know that. I’ll figure it out, you just gotta give me some time.” 

Castiel couldn’t stop his eyes from closing as he relaxed into Dean’s side slightly. He just now realized how tired he was because the attic he lived in was always either too hot, or too cold.

A thought he’d had a thousand times this summer crossed his mind.  _ I wonder if it would be easier to sleep if Dean was in bed with me. _

Dean brushed his lips over the top of Cass’ head. “These seats are wide, why don’t you lay down and take a nap? I’ll wake you up when it’s time to get changed.” 

Cass opened his eyes and nodded as he re-adjusted himself, laying so his head was in Dean’s lap. “You’ll stay here, right?”

Dean ran his fingers through Cass’ hair. “We just worked a different kind of magic so we could be alone together, you really think I’m goin  _ anywhere _ ?”

Castiel shook his head with a smile, closing his eyes. “No, I don’t. Thanks, Dean.”

“Mmmhm. Get some sleep, angel. I’m right here.” 

Castiel, for the first time this summer, fell asleep quickly. He was safe, he was happy, and he was going back to Hogwarts, which had quickly become one of his favourite places.

 

_ Dean _

 

Dean watched Castiel sleep with a smile on his face that he couldn’t quite get rid of. He nearly had a panic attack when the witch selling snacks opened the compartment door to ask if he wanted any Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans or Jelly Slugs, but if she noticed that Castiel’s face was buried in his stomach, she didn’t say anything. Dean sent her away and continued running his fingers through Cass’ hair when she left. His other hand found its way to Cass’s side and he looked down at him, wondering how on earth he ever managed to fight this, and how the hell he was supposed to come out to his family. He made up his mind that he was going to start with Sam and go from there, because he couldn’t really see Sam hating him for it. 

A few hours later, Dean recognized some landmarks that told him they were getting close. He sighed, knowing that when they got there, moments like this would be few and far between. His hand tightened around Cass’s side and he said gently, “Hey… sleeping beauty, it’s time to get up.” 

Castiel moved a little bit, but otherwise didn’t wake up.

Dean slid out from underneath him slowly, laying him down on the seat. He rummaged around in the compartment above the seats, pulling out his suitcase. He changed into his robes quickly, making as little noise as possible. When he was done, he stowed the trunk again and leaned over to kiss Cass. 

Castiel blinked his eyes open slowly, squinting against the light. He kissed Dean back as he sat up slightly. “Hello.”

Dean grinned at him, kneeling on the floor between the seats. “Morning, sunshine. Good nap?”

He smiled and rolled with a yawn so he was laying on his back. “The best nap ever.”

“Well, I’m glad. We were nearly outed by the witch that sells the snacks, but other than that… it’s been an uneventful ride.” He pause, then added with a smirk, “noisy one, though. Didn’t know you could snore like that.” 

He rolled his eyes with a grin, pushing his fist into Dean’s chest as he stretched. “Shut up, I do not.”

Dean laughed. “The hell you don’t. It’s okay though, honestly, it was kinda cute. You drool, too”

Castiel blushed, closing his eyes again. “Stoppit.”

Dean’s smirk widened. “Make me.”

He raised his eyebrow but kept his eyes closed. “Don’t tempt me, Winchester. I frankly don’t care that we’re on a train full of wizards and witches and creatures alike.”

Dean’s smirk didn’t drop. “Oh, I’m tempting you,  _ Novak.  _ You talk in your sleep too, were you dreamin’ about me?”

“Honestly? That’s highly likely.” Castiel shrugged, opening his eyes and turning his head to Dean. “Big spoon or little spoon?”

“Who, you? You’re definitely a little spoon.” Dean made a face like that was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I wasn’t asking about me, Dean.” He chuckled, watching him. “I was trying to confirm if my dream was true, that’s all.”Dean squirmed, suddenly looking out of place. “Oh, uhh… I don’t really know, I guess. I guess I’d default to the big spoon, since we already established you’re the little one.”Castiel shrugged, breathing out. “I wouldn’t know what I was either. Perhaps we could help each other figure it out?”

Dean exhaled as if he was relieved he wasn’t the only one that hadn’t done a lot of cuddling. “Yeah, yeah. We help each other figure everything else out, so why not that?”

The compartment door slid open and Raphael Helm stuck his fat, ugly head in. He looked from Dean on the floor to Cass on the seat and his eyebrows disappeared into his hair. “I came to let you know it’s time to change into robes, but suddenly I’m surprised you two have clothes on at all.” He looked at Castiel. “I suppose this explains a couple of things, doesn’t it?”

Dean got to his feet, looking angry. “Don’t you have some little animal to tort--”

“Dean,” Castiel pleaded, sitting up. “Ignore him, he’ll go away. He doesn’t have any other joy in his life other than making fun of me. If it helps him sleep at night…” he stood up as well, narrowing his eyes at Raphael, “let him.”

Raphael let out a condescending laugh and turned to leave. “I should have known.” He walked out of the compartment, moving to the next one. 

Castiel let out the deepest breath ever and looked to the ground, his body visibly tensing. “It’s fine.”

Dean looked like he was stuck somewhere between anger and terror, and he didn’t move

right away. “Did he -- is he -- we weren’t even doin’ anything, he has no proof of anything. Nobody’s gonna believe him.”

Castiel licked his bottom lip and nodded. “Yes, exactly. Everything’s fine.”

Dean frowned at the floor for a long moment. “Y’know what, fuck that guy. Fuck anyone that’s gonna say shit about it, I don’t care. I got a whole damn year to figure out the consequences, and it turns out I’m not really a fan of closets.” He grabbed Cass’s arm, pulling him out of the compartment and into the hallway. He looked around them, noticing some kids scattered throughout the train. He looked at Cass, saying quietly, “jesus christ, I’m really gonna do this.” 

“Dean, what the hell are you doing?” Castiel watched him.

“I’m sayin’ ‘fuck that guy, and fuck anyone that’s gonna say shit about it.’” He pushed Castiel up against the wall between two compartments and kissed him for the whole train -- the whole world -- to see. 

Castiel kissed him back, his arms sort of extending at his sides as he tensed, before relaxing again, bring his hands to Dean’s face.

Somewhere a little ways down the train, someone whispered, “hey, is that Novak and Winchester?” Dean tensed, his whole body locking up, but he didn’t break the kiss. 

Castiel brushed his thumbs across Dean’s cheeks, probably in hopes to calm him down. He moved one hand down and interlocked their fingers, staying completely still.

Dean’s brain caught up with his mouth, and he pulled back. He didn’t move his hand, but his eyes were wider than he thought was possible and he quickly looked around them, because people  _ definitely  _ saw them. He noticed that not a single person was looking at them though, they had all returned to the conversations they’d been having before this little public display of affection. He breathed out, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. “I think --- I think it’s okay, I don’t think anyone really cares.”  _ Your fuckin’ dad’s gonna care.  _

Castiel opened his eyes, immediately dropping them to the floor. “Dean, you didn’t have to- I know you weren’t- it would’ve been-”

Dean couldn’t seem to get his heart rate back to normal, and he was dangerously close to vomiting. “No, no, it’s fine, it’s cool, it was bound to happen eventually, right? And maybe none of them noticed, or they won’t say anything, it’s not like any of our friends saw it. Fuckin’ Raphael didn’t even see it, where’d that fuckin’ prick go, anyway?”

Rue appeared out of seemingly nowhere, a grin on her face. “Or, Dean Winchester, no one simply cared and everyone is happy for you both.”

The skin on his back felt like it was a thousand degrees, and he was now convinced he was going to throw up. “I gotta pee, good to see you Rue, hope you had a good summer.” He took off, moving as fast as he could towards the restrooms.

 

_ Castiel _

 

Castiel watched Dean go, his heart racing.  _ What the hell just happened? Did he just- is that really- does everyone know now? _

“Castiel?” Rue spoke hesitantly. “Are you okay? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

He looked to her briefly, and then back in the direction Dean ran. “Yeah, uh, I’m fine, Rue. Do you know how many people saw?”

She nodded. “Everyone here saw, most of them just smiled and returned to whatever they were doing before.”

“Right, yes, okay. Well uh, I’m going to go change into my robes, I’ll see you for the feast, okay?”

She nodded. “Alright, Cass. I’ll see you later.”Castiel nodded to Rue and made his way back to the compartment. He grabbed his robes from his bag and then made his way to the restrooms as well. He knocked on the door, pressing his ear up against it. “Dean?”

The only response he got was the sound of Dean vomiting. 

Castiel frowned but made his way back to the compartments. He shut the door to it and took his n off, beginning to put his robes on. He pulled his wand from the waistband of his jeans and looked at it, before setting it on the chair and continuing to get changed. 

Dean came back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He stopped when he saw Castiel half undressed still. “Uhh…”

Castiel jumped and quickly pulled his robes on, smoothing them out as he turned to Dean, his face flushed. “Oh, uh, sorry. I thought you were going to take longer.”

Dean shook his head, a bewildered expression on his face. “No, don’t - don’t be sorry. I uhh… just kinda wish I’d have gotten here sooner.”

Cass’ core tensed as he licked his lips quickly, changing the subject. “Are you- are you okay?”

“Yeah, aces. Don’t take that the wrong way, I wasn’t pukin’ cuz of you or anything, it’s just…” He frowned, his eyebrows pinching together. “I’m just nervous, I guess.” 

Castiel stepped towards him, now half in his robes and half in muggle clothes. He brushed his thumb across Dean’s jaw, nodding with a whisper. “Me too.”

“What about your family? They gonna be as pissed as mine?”

Castiel now just realized that Dean didn’t know a single thing about his family. He pulled his hand back and shook his head. “No, uh, I don’t think they’ll be too upset.”

Dean relaxed at that, and looked out the window. “We’re here, I can see the castle.” He turned back to Cass. “After the feast, you wanna meet me in that room we practiced the patronuses in? I uhh… you know an awful lot about me, but I don’t know much about you. I wanna learn, if you’re okay with that.”

Castiel flicked his eyes between Dean’s, but nodded once. “Yes, I think I’d like that.” He looked down at his jeans. “I do however have to finish changing so, uh…”

Dean smirked. “What, you want me to leave or somethin’? What if I’d rather watch?” He sat down, spreading his legs slightly and throwing an arm over the back of the seat. “I promise I won’t touch.” 

Castiel bit his lip and looked at Dean. “Yet.”

Dean clicked his tongue. “We’ve got a smart one on our hands.”

He grinned and rolled his eyes and indeed did change into the rest of his robes, tucking his wand into his pocket when he was dressed.


	2. Psychotic Reaction

_ Dean _

 

Sitting at the Gryffindor table, Dean had a pretty good view of the rest of the Great Hall. He was sitting between Finnick and Sirius as always, with Jo Harvelle and Lisa Braeden across from them. Sammy was sitting with Alyssa and her friends about halfway down the table, and the whole Hall was buzzing with people catching up with each other. His eyes searched for Castiel and he found him, sitting with his usual group of Newt, Charlie, Hael and Rue. He smirked to himself thinking about the scene Cass and Hael had put on in the Charms corridor last year, and he wondered to himself if she already knew that there was a very valid, very male reason that Cass wasn’t interested in her. 

Dean got temporarily lost in the memory of Cass’s sex hair and ridiculously hot disheveled look that day, and was pulled out of it by Professor Shurley.

“Welcome everybody, it’s time to start another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I’m sure you’re all very excited, but there are some start-of-term announcements that I’d like to make.” Professor Shurley shifted on his feet, suddenly looking nervous. “As some of you may remember, last year Hogwarts played host to a de-- a dementor.” He glanced behind him at Professor Seneca Crane - Death Eater and general douche - before facing the students again. Dean fixed his eyes on Crane, bracing himself for what was about to come out of the Headmaster’s mouth. “It would seem that Voldemort has requested they take up a more permanent residence here. They will be confined to the third floor corridor, so I strongly suggest you don’t go there unless it’s absolutely necessary, and have some chocolate on hand.” 

Dean watched as Crane sat forward and said something clipped to Shurley. The Headmaster, to his credit, leveled a glare at Crane and said loudly enough for everyone to hear that he didn’t give a shit what was said, he was allowed to properly warn his students. For the first time since becoming a student here, Dean actually believed Headmaster Shurley might care for their well-being. 

“Secondly,” the Headmaster continued, “Owl Post has been officially suspended until further notice. You will not be permitted to send or receive letters, packages, or anything else to anyone outside of this castle.” This news was met with a loud grumble of disapproval; Dean’s own voice joining in even though it made very little difference to him. Professor Shurley raised a hand. “I said until further notice, not ‘until the end of time itself,’ guys, so let’s dial it back a little bit. I’m working diligently to get that particular decree overturned.”

Finnick, true to form, stood and shouted above all the others, “Do you even run this school anymore?” 

No longer surprised by Finnick’s outbursts, Dean simply pulled him back down to his seat as the Headmaster answered. “No, Mr. Odair, I do not. I have not run this school in quite some time, and I’m thrilled that one of you finally realized it.” 

Seneca Crane stood quickly, and the start-of-term announcements were brought to an abrupt halt. He watched as Professor McGonagall leveled a glare at the Death Eater, and she herself stood to address the school. “After the Sorting Ceremony, you will eat your food and return to your common rooms. We will be a lot stricter this year on students being out of bed after hours since there will be Dementors on site at all times.” Crane took a step towards her and she  _ shushed him. _ Dean’s eyebrows shot up and he was fairly certain he’d never been more impressed with another human being in his entire life. “As I was saying,” she continued as if she’d simply swatted away a fly, “You will need to be more careful this year about sneaking around.” She offered the smallest smirk Dean had ever seen, and he fought the urge to laugh.  

Crane took yet another determined step towards her and she huffed. “Yes, yes, alright, I’m finished.” She paused, doing a double-take at Crane’s livid expression. Her mouth stretched tight and she gave him a look that could make even a dementor flinch back. “If your face gets any redder, I might mistake you for a tomato and accidentally slice you up over my evening meal. Control yourself, Professor Crane. You’re supposed to be a teacher, not a child whose toy has just been incinerated.” 

Dean couldn’t help it, he cheered. Thankfully for him, he wasn’t the only one. The entire hall erupted in whoops and general exclamations of pride. Professor McGonagall smiled so slightly that it was barely there, and took a few steps towards the Sorting Hat. 

The Sorting Hat had apparently decided to skip the song altogether this year, which Dean assumed was probably due to the fact that nothing could follow a performance like the one Professor McGonagall had just put on. The Sorting began, and Dean found himself paying attention this time. 

He was determined to make this year better than last year, and that had started on the train with Castiel. He was going to drink in everything that Hogwarts had to offer, and everything that Cass had to offer, as well. He flicked his eyes to Sam as “Steen, Malvolio” was sorted into Slytherin. He wondered if Sam already heard the news from someone that saw him and Cass on the train, or if he was going to have to outright tell him. Either way, he was in for a very awkward conversation once they got to the common room.

“Fournier, Zorione” became this year’s first Ravenclaw, and “Knaggs, Anisa” became the second. On and on it went, and it was 11 students before “McGregor, Garsea” finally joined the Gryffindors. For the first time since he came to Hogwarts, Dean cheered with the rest of his House to greet their newest member. 

Dean found himself reminiscing on his own Sorting. He’d been nervous as hell; he had barely known anything about the individual Houses but he did know that where you were sorted was a big deal. He’d stumbled as he walked towards the stool the hat was on, and flinched when Professor McGonagall had placed it on his head. He had heard the song and watched two dozen other kids get sorted before him, but he had still been surprised when the Sorting Hat began to talk into his ear and use Dean’s head as his own personal swivel. Dean had listened as the Hat threw out words like  _ ‘selfless’  _ and  _ ‘brave’ _ and  _ ‘kind,’  _ and he would have thought the Hat was digging around in the wrong brain if he hadn’t followed it up with ‘ _ arrogant,’  _ and  _ ‘ruthless.’  _ Those had sounded more like Dean, or at least the Dean that had set his ass down on that stool after years of hunter conditioning with his dad. The Sorting Hat seemed to take a lot longer with him than anyone else, and he had been sure that he was going to get kicked out entirely because he simply didn’t belong anywhere when the Hat said, “ _ better put you in… GRYFFINDOR! _ ” Dean hadn’t known how to feel at the time, but sitting here now in his sixth year, he couldn’t imagine being with any other House.

 

\------------------------------

The feast began and ended too quickly, and Dean scrambled to his feet with the rest of the Gryffindors. He searched for Cass in the crowd, attempting to convey “I need to go get the password to the common room and then I’ll meet you there,” with a hopeful expression and a weird little jerk of his hand.  _ Smooth, Winchester. Real fuckin’ smooth.  _

He followed the others to the common room and was nearly beside himself with laughter when he found out that James Potter had been made a Prefect. “You! Seriously? Who’d put you in charge of  _ anything?!”  _ Prefects were supposed to be the ones that led the other students both literally and figuratively. Sort of like the student council, or maybe just glorified hall monitors. Dean was still trying to reel in his laughter when James told the others the password, and he had been making too much noise to hear it. “Wait, wait, what was it?” 

James gave him a look. “Maybe if you spent more time listening and less time goofing around, you’d have heard what it was the first time.” A split second passed before James broke out in a smile and joined in Dean’s laughter. “The password is ‘Impala,’ like the antelope. And you’re right, I don’t know what the hell Professor Mills was thinking when she made me a prefect.” 

“Antelope? Screw the antelope, the only Impala I acknowledge is that beautiful beast of a car my dad drives. This’ll be an easy one for me to remember.” He followed the others into the now-opened portrait hole and breathed in the scent of the common room. The fire was already going, and Jo Harvelle was passing out mugs of hot chocolate and butterbeer. He opted for the hot chocolate, and blew on it gently before taking a sip. “Damn, it’s good to be back here.” He sat down in one of the big chairs by the fire and scanned the room. “Feels like finally comin’ home, y’know?”

From behind him, he heard Finnick scoff. “You moron, we just  _ left  _ our homes, this is  _ school.  _ Don’t tell me you went all nerd over the summer.” 

Dean frowned, sitting forward so he could turn and look at Finnick. There was no malice there or condescension of any kind, and Dean was forcefully reminded that most of the people he knew actually had families that loved them. 

_ Families. Cass. I was supposed to go learn about Cass’ family.  _ He stood quickly, grabbing a second mug of hot chocolate from Jo and scurrying towards the portrait hole. “Somebody cover for me, I gotta be somewhere.” He didn’t wait for his response as he made his way as quietly as possible to the room on the seventh floor where him and Castiel had cracked the code of the Patronus Charm and realized their wands had twin cores. He was relieved to see he got there first. He ducked inside, shutting the door quietly and setting the mugs down on a desk in the front row. He fidgeted with his robes and tried to straighten out his hair with his hands.  _ Dude, will you chill out? This is just Cass, it’s not like he doesn’t know what you look like. It’s gonna be fine, and you’re not here to make out anyway - you’re here to actually be a decent boyfr--  _ He mentally cut himself off from saying the word.  _ To be a decent human being and actually get to know the guy that you’re dragging into eight metric tons of bullshit.  _

He found himself pacing the room, chewing on his lip. He took an occasional sip from his hot chocolate and began to wonder if Cass forgot, got held up, or was simply not going to come. After what seemed like an eternity, he heard the door open and he turned around quickly to face it. “Cass?”

 

_ Castiel  _

 

Castiel smiled slightly and closed the door after entering the classroom. “Yes, it’s me. Sorry, Johanna Mason wouldn’t stop talking.”

Dean grinned at him. “I knew I didn’t like her much.” He hurried over to the desk and grabbed a mug. He turned and handed it to Cass. “Hot chocolate?”

“Ooh, yes. Thank you.” He took the hot chocolate with a grin and sipped it, walking over to sit on top of one of the desks. “So…”

Dean sucked in a breath as he watched him. “So… now I want you to tell me all of your secrets.” He grabbed the other mug and sat on the floor, just a couple of feet in front of Cass. 

Castiel chuckled, looking down at him. “Okay, well… my father was the wizard in my family, my grandma too. My mom’s a muggle. I don’t have siblings, it’s just me all on my own.”

Dean frowned. “Was?” 

Castiel nodded and sipped his hot chocolate. “Yes. In my uh, in my fourth year here both my father and my grandmother died. I got a letter from my aunt who informed me.”

Dean paused, making a face. “They told you that in a  _ letter?” _

Castiel laughed quietly and set his mug down. “Yes, in a letter. My mom lives with my aunt now, but her house is quite tiny. The attic is my room, if that tells you anything.”

“Is that why you stay here for the holidays?”

“Precisely.” Castiel nodded. “The letter told me to ‘only come home when absolutely necessary.’ So, I stay here as much as I can.”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, no I get that. I pretty much got told the same thing.” He took a sip of his hot chocolate and wrapped his hand around the mug. “So, what’s your mom like?” 

Castiel’s face fell as he tilted his head. “I don’t know, honestly. The last time we had a conversation was before I came here for my fourth year.”

“Huh? I thought you said she lived with you and your aunt?” 

He rubbed his sweaty palms on the bottom of his robes. “She uh, she more-so just  _ exists _ than actually lives. When my dad and grandmother died, she sort of just… shut down? She can’t do anything for herself anymore, she spends all day sitting in her rocking chair in the living room just… staring.”

Dean was silent for a moment, and then he set his mug down on the floor next to him and pushed himself to his feet. He walked over, settling between Cass’s legs and wrapped him up in a hug. “I’m sorry, angel. I can’t imagine what that’s like.” 

Castiel hugged Dean back and swallowed hard. “I mean, it’s not all terrible. My aunt’s nice, but I think she believes my mom’s- or uh, Lailah, as I call her… I think she thinks she’s going to get better. It’s been three years and nothing’s changed.”

Dean pulled back just enough to look at him. “And here’s me thinkin’  _ my  _ shit was bad. How the hell did you survive losin’ everyone like that?” 

“I was here.” He shrugged. “I pushed all of my family stuff back and focused on being here. It was hard, but I mean… I survived.”

“I’m really proud of you, Cass. I am. Not many people could go through that kinda shit and come out the other side of it okay.” 

Castiel smiled and looked up at Dean. “Thanks, but I mean your life isn’t exactly easy either.”

“Yeah, but my life bein’ bad doesn’t make it any easier for you to get through yours. The two aren’t related, and one doesn’t take away from the other. I don’t know if I could get through what you just described.” Dean shrugged with one shoulder, his hands on Cass’s thighs. 

Castiel bit his lip and placed his hands on top of Dean’s. “You’re right.”

He nodded once, flashing a brief  smile. “Of course I am. Anything happy you wanna share?” 

Castiel tilted his head as he thought. “Honestly? Nothing I can think of off the top of my head. Nothing happy from home, at least.”

Dean smiled, leaning in to kiss him gently. “I know the feeling. Guess we gotta make our own happy memories, huh?”

Castiel smiled and closed his eyes, nodding once. “I suppose we do, yes.”

“Did you always know you had magic, or was it a surprise when you got your letter? Did your dad tell you about all this?” Dean brushed his thumbs over Cass’s thighs.

“Oh, yes. He told me everything. He tried to teach me magic outside the school grounds, but they threatened to expel me before I even got accepted.” Castiel laughed, watching Dean.

Dean laughed too, loudly enough that he threw a hand over his mouth to stifle it. “You? I can’t imagine you doing anything bad enough to get expelled.”

Castiel shrugged, nodding in agreement. “Yes, you’re right. I’ve always wondered how they even knew he was teaching me. It’s almost creepy, isn’t it?”

“There’s a ban on underage magic. I think it’s some kind of Trace. If a kid uses magic, it alerts the Ministry -- or at least that’s what Professor Mills told us first year. I knew I was weird, but I didn’t know I was a wizard until that owl showed up.”

“I’m glad you are one, though. We probably would’ve never met if you weren’t.” Castiel reached over and picked up his hot chocolate to sip it. “Have you ever practiced magic at home? Cast like, one little spell?”

Dean’s eyes widened in what appeared to be fear, but it disappeared quickly. “Uhh, no. Never tried anything if I wasn’t here or in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley.” He cleared his throat, taking a small step back.

Castiel frowned, watching him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything, Dean.”

Dean seemed to take a very long time to make up his mind about something, but he eventually looked up at Castiel. “My dad’s a hunter. Not deer and rabbits and shit, but  _ people _ . The supernatural. Werewolves and vamps and shifters and ghouls and…” His voice dropped to a barely audible level. “And wizards.”

“Oh.” Castiel furrowed his eyebrows. “But you and Sam are wizards and you’re here at a school full of the supernatural.”

Dean’s shoulder’s sank. “Yeah, I know. If it wasn’t for my mom, I honestly don’t know if me and Sammy would  _ be  _ here right now.”

Castiel slid off the desk and walked to Dean, interlocking their fingers as he stood close. “But you are here, and that’s what matters.”

Dean looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of it, instead, he said simply, “Yeah, you’re right.” 

Castiel frowned, watching him. “You were going to say something else. Say it, you don’t have to hide things from me.”

Dean kept his eyes to the ground. “I think if it wasn’t for my mom, my dad might’ve killed us. Or disowned us, or somethin’. He can’t even look at either one of us now.” 

“He’s stuck in his ways, Dean. He only knows what he wants to know, refusing to even try and understand that we’re still the same.” He tilted Deans chin up, meeting his eyes. “If he can’t or simply doesn’t want to accept you or Sam, then it’s his own loss. Not yours.”

Dean pulled his lip between his teeth and shrugged. “Still sucks. But I guess that’s life, right?”

Castiel frowned again, but nodded. “I suppose so, yes. You know, earlier this morning when we left my aunts, I went and said goodbye to Lai-  _ my mom _ , and she told me she loved me. She called me my dad’s name, so I’ll never really know if she meant me or if she thought I was him, but it was something. Surprisingly, though, it didn’t make me feel any better.”

Dean’s eyes flicked between Castiel’s and he finally released his lip. “She’s your mom, Cass. I bet she loves you like crazy, even if her wires get crossed when she says it.” 

He licked his lips quickly and shrugged. “She’s my mom, sure, but she’s different.  _ Way _ different. When I went home for the summer after fourth year… I barely recognized her. My aunt kept telling me ‘she’s still your mom!’ or ‘she just needs time’ but it’s been three years. Honestly, Dean, I don’t think my mom’s in there anymore.”

Dean didn’t try to argue. He pulled Cass into another tight hug, his hands coming up under Cass’ arms and gripping his shoulders. “I’m sorry, angel.” 

He closed his eyes and relaxed into Dean, holding onto him tightly. “I’m sorry too, Dean.”

They stayed like that for awhile and eventually, it was hard to tell which heartbeat was whose. Dean pulled away first, clearing his throat. “It’s probably gettin’ real late, Cass. We should head back before they send out the search parties.”

Castiel nodded. “I suppose we should, yes. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Breakfast?” Dean’s face lightened considerably at the prospect of bacon. 

Castiel laughed quietly and picked up his now empty hot chocolate mug. “Breakfast sounds good.”

 

_ Dean _

 

Dean made his way down to Care of Magical Creatures with Sam and Sirius following closely behind. Now that Sam was a fifth year, they had lessons together. Dean normally hated the integration of the fifth, sixth, and seventh years, but it now allowed him to have all of the people he cared about in one room, once a week. This particular class was shared with the Hufflepuffs, and Castiel originally wasn’t going to be one of them. When they found out that he was in the other half of the split class, the two had gone to Professor Mills and Professor Greyback and practically begged that Castiel be switched. Greyback originally said no, until he asked Dean to repeat his last name. When he told him, Greyback asked specifically if he was John Winchester’s kid. Dean’s first instinct had been to lie; to distance himself from his father. But something told him he’d be better off with the truth in his case, so he confirmed it. Greyback readily agreed after that. Dean still wasn’t sure  exactly what happened there, but he didn’t care.

It worked out two-fold. Because of the changes they’d made to Castiel’s schedule to accommodate the switch, they now also had Potions together again, as well as Astrology. Sam shared this class and Dark Arts with him, and he had also had Charms with Sirius. All in all, it wasn’t a bad lineup. 

Cass was already waiting for them down by the hut at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where this particular class was held. There was a single tree next to the hut, with what looked like a giant bees nest dangling from one of the lower branches. 

Dean approached Castiel and followed his gaze towards the tree. “What the hell is that and why is my skin already crawling?”

Sam answered before Cass could get a word out. “Tracker-jackers. Has to be.” 

Sirius turned to look at him. “Bless you?”

“No, I didn’t sneeze, that didn’t even sound like sneeze. They’re called tracker-jackers, they’re basically magically supercharged hornets. Voldemort used them a couple of years ago to wipe out an entire village of muggles.” 

Dean’s jaw went slack. “How the hell do you know that?”

“I know that, Dean,” Sam stated with an annoyed tone, “because unlike you, I actually read the Daily Prophet.” 

“The Daily what now?” Dean vaguely recalled hearing the name before, but couldn’t place it. 

“The wizard newspaper? Honestly, how do you sleep at night without knowing what’s going on out there?” Sam’s tone was playful, but there was still an underlying edge that Dean couldn’t quite place. 

“Usually on my back, cuz waking up with morning wo--” He grunted as Cass elbowed him, and Sirius burst out laughing.

Sam rolled his eyes. “At least one of us pays attention.”

Dean opened his mouth to retort, but the nest hanging from the tree gave an angry buzz that shut him up and sent him moving back a few feet. “Alright, Mr. Know-It-All, if these things took out an entire village, why the hell are they here?”

Castiel cut in. “I’m surprised you’d even ask that, given what we were collectively put through last year. I imagine they’re here to injure, maime, torture, or humiliate us.” 

Dean blinked at him. “Yeah, sounds like my kinda class. Where the hell is Professor Greyballs at anyway?” Dean saw Castiel’s eyes get way wider than should be possible for a human, and his stomach sank. “He’s… he’s right behind me, right? This is where you tell me he’s right behind me?”

Castiel nodded quickly, and Dean turned to see their professor. He was a large man, Fenrir Greyback. Broad shouldered and hairy in places people had no right to be hairy. His breath stank and his teeth looked like he’d intentionally filed them down with something. “Sorry, Professor Grey _ back.”  _ He made sure to put a kick on that last syllable in a last ditch effort to keep himself out of detention just two weeks into the year. “Tracker-jackers, huh? Nice choice.” 

Greyback bared his teeth in what no sane person would call a smile. “I’m glad you agree, Winchester. Maybe you’d like to be the first to play with them?” 

Dean looked around wildly for help from the other students that had gathered around. Most of them were very interested in things on the ground, and the rest just outright shook their heads or stepped back from him. Dean set his jaw.  _ Here we go.  _ “Yeah, alright. How horrible can they be, they’re just bees, right?”

Greyback’s sneer widened and he barked a laugh. “If you think these are bees, you’re dumber than you look. Go on then. Poke the nest.”

Dean stared at him with his eyebrows raised. “Wait, poke it? Like actually walk up to it and poke the thing? Buddy, I’m not  _ that  _ stupid.” Dean started shaking his head, and Greyback pushed him with enough force that he smacked right into the nest.

For a moment, nothing happened. Dean scrambled to his feet with his arms covering his head, but all he heard was the sound of angry buzzing. He uncovered his face and looked to the nest, relaxing slightly. “Sorry, Professor, not today. Guess my face is just too pretty to sting.”

The second he turned his eyes away from the nest, he heard Sam. “Dean, run!” 

Dean looked to Sam to find him pointing open-mouthed to a spot just behind Dean’s head. He turned quickly, and was met with a face full of  tracker-jackers. 

 

_ Castiel _

 

Castiel’s jaw dropped, momentarily frozen with fear. He turned to Professor Greyback, speaking loudly. “Do something! They’ll kill him, you have to do something!”

Greyback just laughed. “They’re not going to kill him, and even if they did, would it really be such a loss? One less mudblood in the world sounds good to me.” Greyback stood back and watched as Dean was repeatedly stung, his arms flailing wildly.

       “I’ll tell Professor Shurley! I’ll tell him you just watched as Dean was attacked!” Castiel pulled his wand out and pointed it at Dean, trying to think of any spell that could fix this.

“You’re just as dumb as Winchester is, who do you think got his hands on a nest full of tracker-jackers? They don’t run around giving those to just any--”

“ _ Stupify!” _ Castiel shouted over him, pointing his wand at the tracker-jackers.

Sirius got the hint quickly, and followed Castiel’s lead. “ _ Impedimenta!”  _

Sam turned his focus towards Professor Greyback as Dean crawled away from the temporarily stunned and blocked tracker-jackers. “Is this some sort of a joke to you? Where’s the antidote!” 

Greyback looked like he was thoroughly enjoying the scene in front of him. “Relax, I’m not going to let him die, don’t go telling your daddy on me. The purpose of this exercise is to see the effect that tracker-jacker venom has. I’ll provide the anti-venom when Mr. Winchester fully demonstrates those effects, and not a second sooner.”

Castiel nodded to Sirius, telling him to keep stunning the tracker-jackers. Cass ran towards Dean and helped him up, pulling him away from the nest and the stunned bees. “Dean?!”

Dean looked up at Castiel, his facial features swollen and twisted in horror. He pushed back from him, falling onto the ground and crawling backwards too fast for his arms to keep up. 

“Dean, it’s not real!” Sam yelled, standing almost protectively between Greyback and where Dean was still frantically trying to crawl away. “It’s not real!”

Castiel looked between everyone, turning to Greyback. “Fix it! Make it stop!”

Sirius, it would seem, wasn’t about to wait for Greyback to make the call. In one wildly misjudged movement, he pulled his arm back, extended it forward with all of the force he could seemingly muster, and punched Fenrir Greyback right in the face. 

 

_ Dean _

 

Dean couldn’t believe his eyes. That wasn’t an exaggeration, he actually  _ couldn’t  _ believe them. He’d heard Sam screaming at him that it wasn’t real, and Sam wouldn’t lie. Not about this. Not about the horribly grotesque, twisted things he was seeing. He wasn’t even sure if his heart was beating anymore, or if it had just given up and was sitting in stunned silence, just like half of the things --  _ no, those are people, those are people --  _ that surrounded him. 

He tried to crawl back to Cass. It was slow, and his limbs had turned to slugs. Trying to maneuver slugs was a lot harder than it looked, and it was taking him way longer than he’d planned to get back to him. He looked up, away from his slimy, gross appendages and searched for his angel. He blinked several times, because Castiel doesn’t have wings.  _ Does he have wings? Those sure look like wings. I should touch them to make sure.  _ Dean pushed himself to his feet, very proud of the slugs that had replaced his legs for being able to hold his weight like that. He took one wobbly, unsure step after another, and reached out to touch the massive black wings sprouting from behind Castiel. He hummed as he felt the soft feathers, but his expression quickly changed back to horror when he realized his slug-arm was leaving a trail of something utterly disgusting and gooey all over Castiel’s perfect wings.

He backed up a step, even as Castiel tried to grab him. “Can’t touch….” He whirled away and was faced with his brother now, but it wasn’t his brother at all. Out of the sides of Sam’s head were giant, oak-coloured antlers. “You’re not a moose, don’t be a moose, I don’t like it.” He was distracted momentarily by the feeling of his arms falling off. He looked down at himself, but the slugs that had just recently served as his arms were now slinking across the ground and crawling towards Sirius. Dean watched, slack-jawed as they climbed up Sirius’s legs. 

He screamed. He screamed and unlike Dark Arts, he knew sound was coming out this time. He knew he was making noise because he could feel the force of the sound cracking his ribs. He dropped to his knees, screaming louder. He tried to remind himself that this wasn’t real. He had arms, his brother wasn’t a moose, and Castiel didn’t actually have wings. He wasn’t cracking and breaking apart from the inside out from sound waves alone.  _ Sam, Sammy said this wasn’t real, Sammy wouldn’t lie. Sammy knows, he knows it’s not real, and so do you.  _ Once again, he heard his brother screaming to him. He fought to control the hallucinations, fought to make himself stand, fought to make himself say  _ something  _ to let the people around him know he was probably, mostly okay. He spoke, and as he spoke he knew the words were wrong. They weren’t even on topic, but once he started - he couldn’t pull the words back into his mouth. “He climbed down a long honey? Buzz! Buzzing noise the only reason forest, and that that does? One does? Once walking honey? Buzz! Buzzing noise middle oak-tree, and the got of his paws and lived a likes ‘under the name a between he on’, sang a being-noise.” 

 

_ Castiel _

 

Castiel watched Dean, squinting at the words he was saying. He fell to the ground beside Dean and pulled him up so he was holding him, trying to keep him from flailing around and injuring himself. “It’s not real, Dean. None of it’s real. Snap out of it, come back to me.”

Dean reached out for something directly to Castiel’s right, and clutched at thin air. He buried his face in Castiel’s chest and stopped moving except for heaving, deep breaths. 

Castiel held him tight, continuing to whisper reassuring phrases, now rocking back and forth slightly. He looked to Professor Greyback, his eyes narrowed. “Fix him.  _ Now. _ ”

Greyback was rubbing his cheek, and Sirius was unconscious on the ground in front of him. “He’s nearly burned it all off, no point in wasting the antidote now.” He kicked Sirius hard and started walking back to the castle.

Castiel swallowed and reached for his wand, pointing it at Dean. “ _ Episkey. _ ” He set his wand down and looked at Sam. “Can you get everyone out of here? Please?”

Sam nodded, looking down at Cass with a curious expression. “Yeah, of course. I’m going to wake Sirius up and we’ll uhh… get everyone else back to the castle. You take him straight to the Hospital Wing, do you hear me? Straight there, and I’ll meet you there as soon as I can.” Sam turned, walking and kneeling next to Sirius. He pointed his wand at Sirius’ chest and said, “ _ Rennervate.”  _ Sirius came to with a gasp, wildly swing his fist and nearly connecting with Sam. Sam pinned him to the ground for a moment. “Hey! Sirius, relax, it’s over. Professor Greyback is gone, we need to get the rest of the kids out of here.” 

Sirius cursed loudly and staggered to his feet, mumbling profanities about their so-called Professor. The two led the rest of the class away from the hut and the tracker-jacker tree, which was still making that ominous buzzing sound even though it appeared that the tracker-jackers had all receded.

Castiel was still holding Dean close and rocking back and forth slightly, leaning down to kiss his forehead. “You’re okay, Dean. I’ve got you.”

Dean groaned, his eyes fluttering open but closing quickly again, as if he still couldn’t quite trust what he was seeing. “Where’s Sammy?”

Castiel let out a breath of relief. “He’s okay, Dean. He took the other students inside. Are you? Are you okay?”

“Looks like a fuckin’ unicorn took a dump on the whole world. ‘M good, though. Just uhh… need a minute. Don’t wanna look at it.” 

“Look at what?”

“Too bright. colours are weird. Just… wanna stay.” He rubbed the side of his face against Castiel’s chest and grabbed a tight fistful of his robes, as if he was using them to quite literally tether himself to sanity.

Castiel nodded, holding Dean tight to him. “Then we can stay right here, Dean. I’m not going to leave you.”

“You are,” Dean was barely whispering, but the words were there. “After this year, you are.” 

Castiel’s heart sank, pressing his lips to Dean’s forehead again. “Not for a long time. We still have a year and even after I graduate, I- we’ll make it work. We have too.”

Dean nodded against his chest and slowly sat up, prying a single eye open as if he was still afraid of what he was going to see. He relaxed after a moment and opened both eyes. “I think the worst of it is over.” 

Castiel watched him, rubbing his back. “Good, I’m glad to hear that.  I was terrified.”

Dean actually smiled. “You had wings.”

“Wings? Like…  _ wings _ , wings? Bird wings?”

Dean shook his head. “No, not a bird. More like your patronus; like an angel.” He grinned, adding “they were huge. And black. And soft…” 

“You touched them?” Castiel asked, tilting his head. “Interesting.”

“You honestly think I was gonna keep my hands off of them? Nah. I’m kinda bummed that was just part of the hallucination, though. You havin’ wings would be weirdly kinda hot.” He attempted a weak smirk, and didn’t let it fade.

Castiel laughed quietly and pulled Dean to him, kissing him. “I’m sorry to disappoint, then.”

Dean gasped quietly against his lips, then mumbled against them, “never disappoint.”

He grinned and pulled back, before he stood up, offering him his hand. “Come on, I have to take you to Madam Harvelle.”

Dean frowned and touched his own face after accepting Cass’s help and getting to his feet. “Ow. Yeah, alright. You’re the boss, lead the way.” 

Castiel smirked. “Damn right I am.” 

 

_ Dean _

 

Dean’s stomach did an involuntary flip at the thought of Cass bossing him around in  _ any  _ capacity. He decided he didn’t have it in him to figure out if it was a good flip or a bad flip or a  _ weird  _ flip, so he just followed Cass back up to the castle and to the Hospital Wing. He hadn’t even noticed that he’d been holding Cass’s hand until he rounded the corner to the Wing and was met by Sam, who’s eyes immediately dropped to where his fingers interlocked with Castiel’s. 

Dean pulled his hand back. “I was uhh… haven’ trouble walkin’ and he was just… helping.” He felt his face turn a kaleidoscope of colours, and he immediately felt bad. “No, no, that’s not -- I mean he  _ was _ , but that wasn’t -- was more --” Dean’s words died in his throat as he looked at Sam, so he did the only thing he could think of. He reached out and grabbed Cass’ hand again, taking a side step closer to him. 

Sam just raised an eyebrow. “Oh good, so you’re going to stop moping around now?” 

Dean’s eyes saw Sam’s  mouth form the words, and his ears heard them. His brain, however, wasn’t quite as quick. “I’m not moping, and shut up and listen to me, I’m tryin’ to tell you somethin’ without actually saying it.” 

Sam looked like he was fighting a laugh. “Dean, I’m pretty sure you were the  _ last  _ person to figure out that you had the hots for Novak. I was just surprised he felt the same, that’s all. I’m happy for you guys.” 

Dean’s brain was working just fine for that one. He frowned indignantly. “What the hell is that supposed to mean, ‘surprised he felt the same’?” 

Castiel grinned, squeezing Dean’s hand. “Of course I feel the same. I have since the beginning of last year.”

Sam shook his head. “Which is nuts to me, because I watched my brother be a dick to you on more than one occasion. Guess it’s true what they say about people liking you if they pick on you, huh Dean?”

Dean glared at him. “I wasn’t pickin’ on him.”  _ Okay, yeah you were. Like a lot. Take it back.  _ “Much.”

Castiel narrowed his eyes at Dean. “Really?”

Dean put on his best adorable grin. “You liked it and you know it, Novak. I landed you somehow, didn’t I?” 

Castiel’s face flushed as he bit his lip and looked to the ground, seeming as if he was fighting the smile that crept onto his face. “I suppose.”

Sam made a grossed out noise but recovered quickly, his face turning serious. “Dean, does Dad know?” Dean dropped his eyes and shook his head, and Sam continued. “You’re taking a pretty big risk, you know that? I’m a lot bigger than I used to be, but Dad’s still a bear. I don’t --” Sam cut off, looking at Cass.

Dean brought his eyes up, looking to Sam and following his gaze to Cass. “No, it’s cool. He knows. I uhh… I showed him. It was a real weird detention. But before you get any ideas, you’re not fighting my battles for me, little brother. That’s my job to do for  _ you,  _ not the other damn way around. I’ll figure out what to do about dad. If I can keep it quiet till the end of next year, it won’t matter cuz I can just leave. It’s not like mom or dad will even notice if I don’t come back.” 

Castiel frowned and shifted on his feet, seemingly uncomfortable. “Dean if I- if this- if this is going to cause you pain then…” He swallowed hard and looked to the ground. “I don’t want him to hurt you any--”

Sam cut in, interrupting him. “Oh no. At this point, you don’t get to back out of this and you don’t get to let  _ him  _ back out of this. If my brother was brave enough to tell me he likes you, that means he  _ really  _ likes you. I have faith he’ll figure it out, and I’ll help however I can. Being over 6ft at 15 years old has its advantages, you know.” 

Castiel smiled a little and looked to Sam, before looking to Dean. “Good, because I really didn’t want to leave.”

Dean could feel the heat settling in his cheeks. “Alright, can we be done with the chick-flick moment? If I’m gonna have those, I’d prefer that my face didn’t look like a pincushion. It’s my best feature.” He looked around, finally dropping his hand from Cass’s. “Where’s Madam Harvelle at, anyway?” 


	3. Fly Away

_ Castiel _

 

Castiel met Dean at the bottom of the Astronomy Tower, and together they climbed the long, spiral staircase to the very top. They kept bumping together as they walked, and eventually Dean nudged Cass with a grin. “Think you could get any closer, Novak? I’m walkin’, here.” 

Castiel shrugged, grinning. “I could get closer, if you’d like me too.”

Dean missed the next step and nearly tripped, but reached out and grabbed Castiel’s arm to steady himself. His ears turned red and he took the next couple of stairs two at a time. “You’d have to catch me, first.” 

“If you think I’m running these stairs you’re wrong, Winchester!” Castiel called, his breathing turning heavy because of all of the stairs.

Dean turned to climb backward, a wide smirk on his face. “What’s the matter, angel? Need better motivation?”

He felt a rush hit his core as he picked up the pace, taking the stairs two at at time now. “Perhaps.”

“Oh, then let me remind you what you’re runnin’ for.” He stopped, walking back down the couple of steps between them and pulled Cass into a kiss, both hands on his face. He pulled back, that smirk right back on his face, and turned to race up the stairs.

Castiel bit his lip when Dean ran up the stairs and after a moment chased after him, shaking his head with a grin when he made it to the top. “That… was… rude…” he huffed, leaning over to catch his breath.

Dean was breathing heavily and holding his side. “Yeah, yeah, you can kick my ass for it later. C’mon, we’re gonna be late.” He pushed open the door that led to the roof of the Astronomy Tower, where a vast majority of the class was already gathered around their telescopes and looking to Professor Cinna. 

Professor Cinna was soft spoken and unnaturally kind in comparison to the rest of their Professors, especially since Voldemort took over. As it turned out, most Death Eaters had no interest in the stars or the stories they told, and Professor Cinna was allowed to retain his post during the transition. Castiel nodded at him as he and Dean took their places next to their own telescopes and began pulling out their books.

Dean leaned in and whispered to Cass, “dude, I can’t get over how much this guy looks like Lenny freakin’ Kravitz.” 

Castiel squinted, looking to Dean briefly. “Who?”

Dean looked offended. “I thought you said your mom was a muggle? How the hell do you not know who Lenny Kravitz is?”

“She is a muggle but I guess she never introduced me to that kind of… uh…  _ genre _ ?”

Dean looked appropriately dumbfounded, but bit back his retort as Professor Cinna called attention to the class. “It would seem that some of you will be repeating this particular lesson, but it’s probably better that way. Having three years mixed into one lesson has it’s advantages and disadvantages, but we’re going to focus on the advantages. Does anyone have an objection to that? I know some of my fellow Professors seem to disagree with me, but I’m not them, and they don’t run my class.” 

The whole class shook their head as Castiel grinned. Professor Cinna had always been Castiel’s favourite for more reasons than his teaching ability. Castiel felt as if he could relate to Professor Cinna and felt comfortable in his class.

Dean whispered to him furiously, “You’ve  _ seriously  _ never heard the song American Woman? Fly Away? Are You Gonna Go My Way? The hell is wrong with you?!”

Castiel rolled his eyes and nudged him under the desk. “Shut up. You’ll just have to show me at some point.”

Dean wiggled his eyebrows. “At your own risk, angel. Kravitz is one helluva guy.” 

Professor Cinna’s eyes flicked in their direction, and Dean cleared his throat. It was time to start charting the stars, and so both Dean and Cass angled their telescopes to the sky and started working.

“So this is what, the third time you’ve done this now, Cass?” Dean asked, his voice quiet. 

Castiel grinned and nodded, looking up. “Yes, something like that. It’s a good thing I enjoy this class.”

Dean rolled his eyes but was smiling lightly. “You just enjoy it cuz you think Cinna’s hot.” 

He cleared his throat. “You said it, not me.”

Dean lifted his head from his telescope and furrowed his eyebrows at Cass. “Yeah, I said  _ you  _ think he’s hot.” 

“Who thinks I’m hot?” Professor Cinna came up between the two of them, his hands folded behind his back. 

“Uhh-- I didn’t --- that’s not what I --- he does!” Dean pointed at Cass, blushing furiously and immediately returning to his telescope, but the idiot wasn’t even pointing it at the sky.

Castiel didn’t move his telescope and just cleared his throat again, trying to hide the blush on his face as much as he could with the telescope.

Cinna chuckled, low and breathy. Dean side kicked Castiel, as if this was somehow his fault. “While I’m flattered, it would do you both more good to pay attention to the stars. You never know when they’ll come in handy.” 

“Yes, I agree.” Castiel nodded, grinning slightly. “Thank you.”

Cinna smiled. “You always were one of my brightest students, Castiel. I’m going to miss you next year.” He turned and walked away to the next group of students, and Castiel found Dean rolling his eyes into a glare. He said in a mocking voice nowhere near Cinna’s actual pitch or timbre, “I’m gonna miss you next year, Castiel.”

Castiel smirked, looking over at Dean. “What’s wrong, Dean? Are you jealous?”

“No more jealous than you were last year when Lisa was checking to see if my elbow was still twelve shades of cracked.” Dean looked smugly satisfied and returned to his telescope.

“That’s fair, I suppose.” He licked his lips quickly, looking back up at the stars. “He called me one of his brightest students.”

Dean shrugged. “That’s because you are. I’m sure there’s a joke in there regarding brightness and stars, but don’t expect me to give it to you.” 

Castiel frowned jokingly. “You always find the terrible joke, though.”

“Hey, I’m friggen hilarious. Not my fault you don’t understand half of ‘em.” Dean scribbled some things down on his parchment and glanced back to where Professor Cinna was. “In all honesty, I wish more of our Professors were like him. This is one of the few classes I don’t hate comin’ to. Can you believe there was once a time when that was a real thing? When there were no Death Eaters here and it was just a school for kids to learn how to do magic?”

Castiel shook his head, setting his telescope down. “I can’t, honestly. That whole concept seems so… foreign.”

There was  something darkening behind Dean’s eyes as he spoke again. “Someday, somebody’s gonna do somethin’ about it. Somebody’s gonna overthrow that evil dick, and kids can just friggen be kids again. No more Games, no more Choosings. No more practicing curses on each other in class.” 

Castiel smiled at him a little bit. “I sure hope you’re right. Do you want kids one day? Would you let them come here?”

Dean frowned. “I guess I never really thought about it, y’know? I never really let myself think about life after school, cuz I didn’t -- and still don’t -- know if I’ll even be alive to see the end of it.” He shrugged. “I guess in a perfect world, sure. Who doesn’t want kids? I’d never want them to come here like  _ this,  _ but I’m talking about a perfect world here. So yeah, in that case… I’d want them to know what  _ real  _ magic was.” 

“Me too, I think.” Castiel picked up his quill and started filling out his chart like he had for the past few years in this class. “That sounds ideal.”

“Unfortunately, ‘ideal’ and ‘reality’ are rarely the same friggen thing. A guy can dream, though, right?” Dean chewed on his lip, looking up at the sky. “There’s so damn many of ‘em. You think they even know we’re down here?”

“What, the stars?”

“Yeah.” Dean seemed to realize what he was suggesting, and shrugged it off. “Just seems so much  _ bigger  _ than all of this, y’know?”

“It’s huge, Dean. The stars and the galaxy… space goes on forever. Eternity, even.”

“It’s almost comforting, isn’t it? To know that no matter what happens down here, those little balls of light are still gonna be up there.” Dean cleared his throat and stood up from where he was leaning against the desk. “Anyway, back to you and Professor Cinna. What kinda wedding are you two gonna have?”

Castiel set his quill down and went to say something, but cleared his throat instead. “Yeah, I don’t know.”

Dean snorted. “Don’t invite me, I’ll be objecting for both sides.” 

He grinned a little and kept his eyes down, trying to find his words. “I hope to… I hope to have a wedding that- that involves  _ you _ being the other groom.” His face immediately turned red.

Dean might have had a stroke, he was silent and staring at Cass for so long. Not moving, not blinking, just standing there, slack-jawed.

Castiel breathed out.  _ Yup, you ruined that one. Way to go. _ “I uh, I didn’t mean- I was just…” He paused for a moment. “So about these stars, huh?”

Dean seemed to at least regain control of his mouth. “Yeah, you’re Professor Cinna’s brightest, shining star. We get it, Novak.” He smiled, but it was the sort of smile you plaster on your face when you honestly don’t know what else to do with your muscles.

Castiel tensed at the awkwardness and nodded. “Right, okay.” He sat down and fell silent, continuing to chart the stars.

It was a while before either of them spoke again, and it was Dean that broke the silence. “Why don’t we just focus on makin’ it out of Hogwarts alive, and then we can figure out the rest of it? You just startled me, that’s all. Sorry I got all weird about it.”

Castiel closed his eyes and leaned forward, leaning his forehead on the desk, smiling. “So I didn’t ruin my chances of ending up with you?”

“Oh, buddy, you’re gonna have to try a  _ lot  _ harder than that to get rid of me.” 

Castiel smiled but didn’t lift his head. “I suppose it’s a good thing I don’t want to get rid of you, isn’t it.”

Dean smirked again, any trace of uneasiness gone. “Why would you? I think I’m adorable.”

 

_ \------------------------------ _

 

_ Dean _

 

Two days before the Choosing, Dean sat in silence in the Gryffindor Common Room. Some people had already gone to bed, but he was still awake in front of the fireplace. Sam, Sirius, James, Finnick, Lisa and Jo were all with him, lounging around on the couches, chairs, and even the floor. None of them had really spoken since dinner. Dean was fine with that, it was enough to know that they were all here, at least one more time. 

He watched the way the fire played tricks with the shadows on their faces, and his chest tightened at the thought that in just a couple of short days, one or more of them might be gone. He could count on one hand the amount of times he’d had true panic attacks in his life, but he was rapidly becoming aware that he was going to be adding to that number sooner rather than later. This was the first year he really had to worry about someone other than himself. Now Sam’s name was up for grabs, and he actually had friends that he knew he’d die for in a heartbeat. Not to mention Cass. His stomach rolled in that familiar flip just thinking about him, and how close they’d grown over the last year. He couldn’t stand the thought of losing any of them, of being Chosen himself or one of them being Chosen. He rarely wished ill on other people, and it was even rarer that he prayed. But as Dean Winchester sat there looking at the fire that night… he did both. He prayed to any god that would listen to spare him and the people he cared about. To make the Goblet of Fire pull someone else’s name, make someone  _ else  _ carry this burden. 

As soon as the thoughts entered his head, he regretted them. His dad might not have taught him many things about being decent, but from an early age he’d taught him how to shoulder burdens that weren’t his own. He used to think that was a cruel thing to instill in a child, but now that he was older, he understood why. 

Some people are just born lucky. Other people, well… if it wasn’t for bad luck, they wouldn’t have luck at all. It was those people that John Winchester taught him to look out for. The downtrodden. The underdogs. The victims. People that couldn’t, or wouldn’t, stand up for themselves. The innocent. The afraid. Looking around the common room, Dean knew that in this moment, his friends were every single one of those things, and more. And not just his friends; every single student at Hogwarts was equal in this way whether they cared to admit it or not. Even the ones that trained for the Games. Hoped to be Chosen. It was just a product of their upbringing in most cases, and wasn’t their fault anymore than it was Dean’s fault that he instinctively reached for his wand anytime he was in the presence of a magical creature. It’s just who he was. He’d learned and grown enough since beginning his journey at Hogwarts that he no longer pulled his wand  _ out  _ every time he came across one, but he didn’t believe he’d ever stop reaching for it. Just in case. Just in the off chance he’d come across the type of creatures his dad had been training him to hunt. The ones that refused to assimilate, refused to stop hunting humans. It still awed him that his dad was powerful enough as a muggle human to turn the predator into the prey. Dean supposed he could understand his father on that level… understand why he was as brutal and ruthless as he was. His dad knew the sorts of things that lurked in the shadows. He had to be tough as nails to fight back against the darkness, so was it really such a stretch for him to want to give Dean the same advantage? 

It was with that realization that Dean felt something loosen inside of his chest. Something wound up tight that had been there for years, setting his temper on edge and his mind permanently in survival mode. He wouldn’t necessarily say he forgave his dad, but he thought he was finally old enough to  _ understand  _ him, and that was far more than Dean thought he’d ever do. 

Sam spoke from the chair next to him. “Should we… I don’t really know how this works, are we supposed to say goodbye? Just in case?” 

Dean shook his head. “None of us are goin’ anywhere, okay, Sammy? We’re gonna be fine, just like we all were last year and Finn was the year before that. There’s no need to say goodbye, cuz nobody’s leavin’.” 

Sam nodded but didn’t look convinced. “Okay, Dean. Nobody’s leaving.” 

Lisa leaned forward on the couch with her elbows on her knees. “I think Sam’s right, Dean. We’ve got a bigger group this year, the chances of at least one of us being called is higher this year than it was last year.”

Dean didn’t want to think of it like that, so he went on the defensive. “Well, why don’t you just See what’s going to happen, like you did last year?”

She scowled and leaned back again. “It doesn’t work like that and you know it. I can’t control what comes to me and what doesn’t, it just… happens.” 

Finnick spoke up from the floor. “Can we not argue? Either way you slice it, the Choosing is in two days and we’re losing three Gryffindors. I actually hope one of them is me, I don’t think I can stomach the survivor’s guilt one more year.” 

Dean blinked at him. “C’mon, Finn. It’s not like it’ll be your fault if you don’t get Chosen. You have as much right to be free as anyone else does.” 

Sirius nodded. “Winchester’s right. There’s no point in blaming ourselves for getting picked or not getting picked. No one volunteers for this shit.” 

Finnick just shrugged. “That being true doesn’t make it any easier to leave the Great Hall after the Choosing and know that you’re going to live when someone else isn’t.” 

Dean understood how Finnick felt completely. To a T, right down to his bones. He’d felt the very same things last year after his first experience with the Choosing, when Neville Longbottom was Chosen in Dean’s place. Neville Longbottom who was now very, irreversibly dead. “I get it, man, honestly. But beating ourselves up over it isn’t going to change a damn thing.” 

“Not all of us are as brave as our House might suggest, Dean.” It was Jo this time, and James quickly agreed with her. “This wouldn’t be bravery anyway, it’s stupidity. There’s nothing brave about the Mudblood Games.” 

Dean sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to get anywhere with any of them. He resigned himself back to his silent memorization of their faces, hoping with everything in him that they’d all still be here the following week.  _ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.  _

 

_ Castiel _

 

The morning of the Choosing was usually when Castiel was the most nervous. He’s been through this six times at this point, why was this year different?

Why did Castiel find himself unable to relax two days before the Choosing this year? He sat in the corner chair in the Hufflepuff common room and bit his nails as he thought. 

_ Perhaps it’s because this is your last year and you’ve made it through two other Choosings without being chosen. It’s your last year and you aren’t guaranteed safety yet. _

He let out a shaky breath and ran one hand through his hair. He realized he was more jumpy, too. Anyone who crawled through the barrel scared him, any noises he didn’t recognize were terrifying.

_ Perhaps it’s because you have more to lose this year. You’re not only leaving Rue behind, but Dean too. He came out to his brother, to everyone on the train for you and if you get Chosen it will all be for nothing.  _

He tensed and stood up as he began to pace, his arms crossed in front of his chest. His mind was flooded with images of the last choosing; Romilda Vane dangling from her ankles as they forced her on stage, Garth Fitzgerald and how scared he was and all Castiel could say to him was ‘good luck’, and Neville Longbottom who was literally frozen with fear.

Honestly, Castiel didn’t even understand why the Choosing had to take place. Why every single year twelve young kids were sent to their deaths with no hope of making it out alive. 

Sure, one person ‘won’ each year, but if you survived you were deemed fit to be part of You-Know--  _ you know what? Fuck it. Voldemort. If you survive you’re deemed fit to be a part of Voldemort’s army.  _

Castiel scoffed as he continued to pace.  _ I’d rather die. _

At the thought of dying, Castiel’s breath hitched in his throat. He stopped pacing as his eyes widened.  _ Dean. Not only is it possible for me to be Chosen, but Dean could be Chosen too.  _

His heart began to race as he held onto the back of the chair to steady himself. He then quickly moved to the barrel to go and find Dean, but was stopped abruptly.

“Castiel? Where’s the fire?” Charlie Bradbury asked, crawling out of the barrel.

“Fire? There’s no fire. Why would there be a fire?” Castiel asked, biting his lip as he shifted on his feet. 

“Then why do you look like you want to run away from here?” Rue Marsh asked, appearing behind Charlie.

“What? Oh, uh, no reason. I’ve got nowhere to run to.” Castiel shook his head, crossing his arms again. “Everything’s fine.”

“Right…” Charlie nodded. “Alright, then, I’ve gotta go finish up some Charms homework. I’ll see you guys later.”

She disappeared through the barrel again as Rue turned to Castiel. “What’s wrong?”“Nothing is wrong, Rue. I promise.” Castiel sighed, sitting down again. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”

“I’m fine as well.” She looked to the ground. “I’m just a little bit nervous for the Choosing this year. I  _ actually  _ have the chance to be Chosen this year, now that I’m in fifth year.”

_ Rue. Rue could be chosen this year too. It’s not just you, it’s Dean and Rue as well.  _ “You’re not going to get Chosen, Rue. It’s only your first year and there’s so many fifth years this year as well.”

“I might. You can’t tell the future,” She whispered. 

“If you get called, I’ll volunteer for you, Rue. I’ll go in your place, alright? I’ll volunteer for you.”

“I can’t ask you to do that, Castiel.” She shook her head and sat down beside him.

“You’re not asking me to do anything, Rue. I want to do this and there’s really nothing you can say or do to stop me, alright?” Castiel looked over at her. 

She nodded a little bit. “Okay, Castiel. I understand.”

Castiel reached over and took her hand, squeezing it gently. “We’re going to be fine, Rue. I promise, okay?”

“Okay, Castiel. If you say so.”

_ I do say so, Rue. I’m going to volunteer if Charlie gets called too. There’s barely any sixth year Hufflepuffs, Charlie’s chances of getting called skyrocketed since last year. I’ll volunteer for Charlie or Rue. Sorry, Hael. _


	4. What Is And What Should Never Be

_ Dean _

 

Dean wasn’t sure how he ended up in the Great Hall when it was time for the Choosing. He couldn’t remember anything past when sleep finally pulled him into oblivion the night before. But here he was, seated at the Gryffindor table, flanked by his best friends and his brother. Caesar Flickerman was already giving the opening statements to the Choosing, but the words sounded slurred in Dean’s ears. He glanced up, and found Castiel staring back at him. He focused on those bright blue eyes, the eyes he’d stared into a hundred times. More than that, if he was being honest. He held Cass’s gaze as long as he dared, desperately trying to commit the colour to memory. This might very well be the last time he ever saw them. 

He inched closer to Sam on the bench. Flickerman had just finished telling what was decidedly a very  _ un _ funny joke, and now had his eyes on the Goblet of Fire. Terror unlike anything he’s ever known gripped him. Sammy was a fifth year and Cass and Finnick were both seventh years, which meant that either order they decided to go with this, one of the people he cared most about was in danger. 

Dean clenched his jaw as the flames turned red. Flickerman snatched the burnt piece of parchment from the air, and read out, “Beetee Latier!” He continued with a list of Beetee’s supposed shortcomings, but Dean couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t listen. Seventh years were first, and Beetee was Ravenclaw’s, judging by the blue and black robes as the boy stood. Seventh years. Cass.  _ Please, anyone but Cass. Anyone but --  _ The flames turned red again. Dean squeezed his eyes closed, bracing himself for what he’d come to terms with was inevitable. He wasn’t allowed to be happy, and he’s already had too much of that. Of  _ course  _ Castiel Novak was going to be Chosen, taken away from him. Of  _ course  _ it was going to be him, there was never any other --

“Newt Scamander! Hufflepuff seventh year, and a pureblood, to boot. Wonder what he did to  _ piss someone off?”  _ Dean barely heard Flickerman’s words. If he had, he might have noticed that there was something wrong in his tone. Something that would have set Dean’s teeth on edge, if he’d been paying attention to anything other than the fact that Castiel was safe. This was his final Choosing, and he’d been passed over. He was keenly aware that it was one of Cass’ friends, one of  _ his  _ friends that was Chosen, but he was already prepared for the grief that would find him afterward. For now, he settled for the fact that his angel wasn’t going anywhere. It wasn’t an ideal start, by all accounts it was a really shitty start, but it could have been worse. 

Something in Dean’s chest squeezed as Flickerman plucked the next name from the air. Dean was biting his lip so hard he could taste rust in his mouth. This was far from over, and he knew it. Flickerman cleared his throat. “Oh, what luck! It seems we’re continuing our little trend of troublemakers. Our seventh year Gryffindor tribute, half-blood and half-wit, if you ask me… is Finnick Odair!” 

From somewhere behind Dean, he heard Finnick snarl. It was a sound so low and so vicious that Dean temporarily wondered if it came from a human at all. Dean was on his feet before he knew what he was doing. Several of the Death Eaters that had been standing quietly in the corner were now making their way towards them, and Finnick was sprinting towards the doors. Dean barely made it four steps in his direction before his feet were swept out from under him. He landed, his knees smacking painfully off the ground. He glanced up quickly, but Sam and Sirius were on the ground next to him and attempting to haul him back to his feet. He couldn’t do anything but watch and scream a warning to Finnick as one of the Death Eaters shot a stunning spell at him, and it was followed by an incantation Dean didn’t recognize. Finnick crumpled, lifeless on the floor not 5 feet from the doors. 

Sam was whispering frantically to him as he was pushed back into his seat. “He’s fine, Dean, he’s not dead, he’s just knocked out… sit the hell down before they do the same to you!” 

Dean was certain this was the worst day of his life. Three names in, and two of his friends had already been taken. Two of Cass’s friends, of Sammy’s friends. He turned to level a glare at Caesar Flickerman, but his glare receded to a look of terror when he saw the guttural sneer being directed at him.  _ This was fun to him, this was a fucking game. He’s -- no, he can’t be.  _

He was peripherally aware that Sirius and Sam were each pinning one of his arms to the table. In his mind, he knew he didn’t give a shit about any of the Slytherins, so when Cato Chester and Jack Morningstar were chosen to represent the seventh and sixth year Slytherins, Dean shouldn’t have cared. It shouldn’t have made a difference to him. But it did, because they were someone’s friend, too. Someone’s kid. Hell, maybe even someone’s boyfriend. And they were being taken for no reason. 

He was shaking by the time the flames turned red once more. Flickerman laughed when he read the name to himself, his eyes dancing in horrible menace as he looked around the room. “This just might be the most fun I’ve ever had at a Choosing. Would anyone care to guess who the Gryffindor sixth year is going to be?” Flickerman’s eyes met Dean’s, and Dean’s stomach dropped. He nearly lost what little breakfast he ate this morning.  _ It’s me, it’s fucking me. Don’t lose your shit, don’t go out like Finn did. Stand up. Stand the fuck up, Dean. Just go.  _ Dean slowly got to his feet, which only made Flickerman’s laugh grow. “Now, now, Mr. Winchester. Your enthusiasm is a welcome change, but no. I was actually looking just past you, to the blood traitor. Sirius Black, please come up here and join your classmates. This is shaping up to be one hell of a team! It’s almost a shame we can’t take  _ more of you.”  _

Dean’s mind was blank. He barely had time to register the fact that Flickerman’s words were indeed directed at him, and his thoughts felt like glue in his mind. Two. Both of his best friends were Chosen. He reached out and squeezed Sirius’ arm, the absolute only comfort he could muster up to give his best friend of over 5 years. Sirius, to his credit, didn’t react the way that Finnick had. He simply stood, ignoring James screaming wildly from his other side. James’ protests were abruptly cut off with another flick of a Death Eater’s wand as Sirius took his place beside Finnick’s still slumped-over body.

Dean’s eyes sought out Castiel on their own, desperate for some reminder that he would have something left when this was over. What he saw looking back at him was a terror and sadness that equaled his own, but he watched as Castiel took one long, shuddering breath, and let it out. Dean mirrored it on instinct. Over and over again, Dean copied Cass’s breathing until his was about as steady as it was going to get. Flickerman had gone off on another tangent but his words were like hammers against Dean’s eardrums and he refused to listen. He refused to do anything but stare into Cass’s ocean blue eyes, and imagine he was literally anywhere else. 

“Charlie Bradbury! Hufflepuff sixth year, mudblood… yes, I don’t think anything else needs to be said about that.” Dean might not have been listening prior to that, but the news that yet another one of their friends was being taken pulled him back into reality.  _ He is, that fucking bastard is taking us on purpose!  _  He watched the horror on Castiel’s face as he looked to Charlie, who had immediately started crying. Dean couldn’t take his eyes off of Cass, off the pain and sadness there, so he didn’t miss when that expression of loss turned to one of resolve. 

“I volunteer!” Castiel’s voice was loud and steady as he stood and said the words that cracked Dean in half. “I volunteer as tribute!” Cass was scrambling out of his seat, and once again, so was Dean. 

Dean didn’t make it very far. With a spell that was lost to his ears, Dean was glued to his seat, his hands similarly stuck to the table in front of him, palms flat. He was shaking and he knew what he must look like; sat ramrod straight in his seat like a student eager to learn the days’ lesson, if that lesson was that life was the cruelest thing that would ever happen to any of them. 

Sam was on his feet on Dean’s behalf. “No, Cass, don’t! You don’t have to do this!” 

If Castiel heard Sam, he sure didn’t act like it. Dean’s eyes followed Cass’s path to the front of the room, and Dean had to blink furiously to dispel the tears enough to get a clear view.  _ Newt. Finnick. Sirius. Cass. Newt. Finnick. Sirius. Cass. Newt. Finnick. Sirius.  _ **_Cass._ ** The names beat through Dean’s head like a war drum. Over and over again, they repeated in his mind, and endless rhythm of pain and loss and love.  _ Newt. Finnick. Sirius. Cass. Newt. Finnick. Sirius. Cass.  _

His heart was beating too loudly to hear the next two names that were called, but he recognized Ash Harvelle as the second. He barely spared a glance for the little brother of his friend Jo, because he couldn’t bare the thought of looking away from his friends for even a second. He wouldn’t. He  _ couldn’t.  _ He owed them at least that much - to not look away in the final minutes. He’d panicked and screamed and cried already, and now it was time to be strong. He had to, he owed it to them, owed it to them and so much --  _ more. I can do more. There’s still one Gryffindor spot left, I can volunteer, I can go with them. They don’t have to be -- Sammy... _

Dean’s eyes finally left his friends to look at his little brother. Everything he’d done in his life up to this point had been to protect and shield his little brother. The beatings he’d taken from their dad, when Sam had been the object of their dad’s anger. The parties and dates he’d skipped out on so Sam wasn’t left alone when their dad was on a hunt and their mom was working late shifts trying to make enough money to pay for rent and food. The toys and gadgets he’d denied asking his parents for, because if either of them were going to get something cool - it was going to be Sammy. He couldn’t leave Sam now, couldn’t join his friends and keep  _ them  _ safe because he had to keep  _ Sam  _ safe. That was easier said than done, because at least here, Sam wouldn’t be fighting for his life every single day. Sam’s body wouldn’t be turning up one day in some random, dingy spot for Death Eaters to poke and prod at if someone wasn’t there to protect him. 

Dean knew, at the end of the day, that there was nothing he could do for his friends now. Even if he went, only one of them would survive. He’d only be killing himself too if he volunteered, because he knew he’d never allow himself to be the one that got out. Not with so many other innocent kids in there, and only one shot at freedom. Their names continued repeating in his mind like a steady, pounding heartbeat.  _ Newt. Finnick. Sirius. Cass.  _

_ Cass. _

 

_ Castiel _

 

Castiel wondered if how much he was shaking was obvious. He wondered if people in the crowd could see the tears streaming down his face.

_ What the actual fuck just happened? _ He didn’t regret volunteering for Charlie, he promised himself he would. Now, standing up here, he was terrified. He shifted his eyes out to the Gryffindor table and found Dean, locking eyes with him.

The look he tried to offer Dean was somewhat apologetic, somewhat sad and a whole lot terrified. He tried to focus on anything but the names being called, but watched as Ash Harvelle from Ravenclaw made his way to the other students.

Ash Harvelle, Madam Harvelle’s son. Castiel swallowed hard when he realized Madam Harvelle had just had her son taken from her and she was here somewhere to witness it. He quickly tried to find her out in the crowd. When he couldn’t find her, he looked to Flickerman, his eyes darting back and forth between his.

“Our fifth year Hufflepuff entering this years Games is…” Flickerman reached towards the Goblet, pulling back a piece of parchment. He paused for dramatic effect and then read the name. “Rue Marsh!”

Castiel’s breath hitched as he looked out into the audience, his worst nightmare coming true. “No!” he cried out, moving towards Flickerman. “No, you have to pick again! Someone else, you have to pick someone else!”

“Castiel!” He felt himself being pulled back, turning to meet Newt’s eyes. “Stop! You have to stop!”

Castiel felt like he couldn’t breathe, glaring at Flickerman. He shook himself free from Newt’s grasp and turned out to the audience to watch Rue. 

She stood slowly, already sobbing. Castiel watched her and moved to meet her at the staircase that led up to the stage. Castiel wrapped her in hug as he whispered “I’m so sorry, Rue. I’m so sorry.”

He composed himself as best he could and took her hand, leading her to stand between himself and Newt. Castiel looked out into the crowd again, desperate to find Dean. When he found Dean’s emerald green eyes, he shook his head a little bit.

“We have quite the dramatic responses this year, wouldn’t you say?” Caesar Flickerman snickered, looking toward the Goblet again. 

“Now, shall we move onto our fifth year Gryffindor?” He paused and looked out at the crowd, straight at the Gryffindor table. A sinister smile appeared on his face. “I think we should.”

He grabbed the piece of parchment and seemingly read the name to himself as he spoke, “oh, how tragic this is going to be. Our fifth year Gryffindor is none other than Sam Winchester.”

Castiel gasped, looking to the Gryffindor table.  _ Don’t do it, Dean. Please don’t do it. _

Dean struggled to stand, but appeared to be magically rooted to his spot. “I’ll do it! I’ll go, I’ll --” He struggled harder, but Sam was already on his feet. “I FUCKING VOLUNTEER! I volunteer, damnit, don’t take him - I’ll do it---” Dean nearly fell right out of his seat as the spell on him was lifted. 

Castiel’s heart was racing, watching Dean. He felt his knees shaking and he was certain he was going to fall to the ground. He didn’t know what to do or even what to think, all he could hear was Flickerman’s obnoxious, stupid laugh. 

Dean stumbled the first couple of steps he took, but then his back straightened out and his jaw was set as he made his way up to join the others. Dean stopped first at Finnick, checking his pulse, and Castiel inched closer to him. 

Nothing made sense. Just a few days ago they were all in Hogsmeade, drinking butterbeer and laughing at Sirius and James’ jokes. It struck Castiel suddenly that Newt likely wouldn’t be allowed to bring his bowtruckle with him, and oddly enough, it was that simple realization that finally caused Castiel’s knees to buckle. 

Dean was next to him in a second. “Get up, don’t let them see. Don’t give ‘em the fucking satisfaction.” Dean’s arm looped under Castiel’s own, and helped him back to his feet as the Slytherin fifth year, Alecto Carrow, was the last to be Chosen. 

As Caesar Flickerman gave his closing remarks, Castiel came to the conclusion that he’d gone mad. Nearly everyone that mattered to him, himself included, had just been marked for death, and yet he couldn’t stop the most basic, asinine thought that  _ at least I’ll never have to sit through one of these again.  _

“How wonderful!” Caesar’s voice cut through Castiel’s insane musing. “How absolutely wonderful that the rest of you poor students left behind might actually be able to learn something -  _ make something  _ of yourselves, even - now that those students that were trying to set you back have been Chosen.” 

“ _ He did it on fucking purpose!”  _ Dean hissed next to him, gripping his arm so tightly it almost hurt.

Castiel considered this for a moment, and all at once realized the truth of Dean’s accusation. What were the odds that  _ all  _ of them would be either Chosen or volunteered? It was almost as if this entire Choosing had been rigged just to take them all out.  _ They couldn’t take us all, there’s too many of us.  _ Sure enough, when Castiel looked around the Great Hall, he was met by the determined, defiant faces of those they were leaving behind. Hael Vetter, Sam Winchester, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and even quiet, mousey Peter Pettigrew. Charlie Bradbury,  Jo Harvelle, Lisa Braeden and Alyssa Blake -- they were, each and every one of them, looking back at Castiel with fire in their eyes. He didn’t know how he knew it, but he did. The Choosing might be over… but the war was just beginning.


	5. No Time

_ Dean _

 

Dean’s eyes were boring holes into Sam, trying to convey a lifetime’s worth of messages in a single glance.  _ Fight this. Fight them. Don’t give up. I’m gonna find my way back to you, I don’t care what it takes. Always keep fighting.  _

Dean was mostly prepared for what happened next, after seeing it last year. One by one, his fellow tributes were stolen by Death Eaters and vanished into thin air. He gripped Cass’s arm in one hand and Sirius’ shoulder in the other, desperate to hold on as long as he could. But disapparating, it would seem, didn’t appreciate passengers. He was ripped from his friends, and then pulled through what felt like space and time itself until his lungs were begging for air. 

He landed with a thud and immediately forced himself to his feet. “Cass? Finn-” He turned, his eyes landing on the other tributes as they started popping up. He reached Cass first and pulled him into a hug, ignoring every single Death Eater in the room. “Cass, you dumb son of a bitch, why’d you do it?” 

Cass grasped onto Dean, burying his face in Dean’s neck and fisting his hands into the back of Dean’s robes. He tried to speak but it seemed that he couldn’t find his words. The only thing he managed to get out in a whisper was, “I’m sorry.”

Dean just held him tighter, afraid to let go. Now that his moment of bravado was over and he was actually here, the adrenaline was wearing off. He opened his eyes, scanning the room over Castiel’s shoulder. He spoke quietly. “It’s alright, angel. We’re here, we’re still together, and we’ve got Sirius and Finn and Newt and Rue. We’re gonna be okay, I promise.”

Castiel’s voice cracked. “For how long, Dean?”

Dean pulled back enough to look Castiel in the face. He was relieved to hear his voice coming out with more conviction than he actually felt, and he tried to double-down on it. “Listen to me. I’m not gonna let you die. I’m not gonna let any of you die. They can’t  _ make  _ us kill each other, angel. Their power over us stops  _ now,  _ you hear me?”

Castiel flicked his eyes between Dean’s and nodded the most uncertain nod Dean had ever seen. “Okay, Dean. I hear you.”

Dean let out a breath and turned, keeping one hand on Cass’s arm. He took stock of the room. It wasn’t much, just a dimly lit living room of sorts. There were a few chairs, a long table, and a single couch where Caesar Flickerman was currently lounging, sneering like a lion that had just cornered its evening meal. 

“And now the Games begin.” Flickerman eyed them each in turn, and Dean took a step back, pulling Castiel with him. “I imagine you - well, surely  _ one  _ of you has figured out there was a particular point to this years Choosing?” 

Castiel pulled his arm free from Dean’s hold and stepped forward. “You rigged it. This entire thing was a set-up and we had no choice but to play along.”

Dean’s temper flared. He’d been thinking the same thing but had thought he was overreacting. “You son of a bitch! Why? Why us, huh? Was it cuz we were the only ones that were brave enough to stand up to any of you!?”

Flickerman just nodded. “Yes, actually. I suppose it wasn’t hard to figure out after all. Yes, your little band of misfits has caused enough trouble… undermining professors, throwing tantrums in the Choosings. Something needed to be done about it, and we had the perfect solution sitting right in front of us.”

Finnick must have woken up at some point, because it was his voice that Dean heard to his left. “You know we’re not going to stop, right? We’re not going to kill each other, we’re  _ friends.”  _

“Now, now, Finnick, let’s not get  _ too  _ dramatic. I don’t expect you to kill each other, but the beauty of it is…” He leaned forward, his eyes dancing. “You don’t have to. Only one of you can make it out of Purgatory, regardless of if the rest of you survive or not. You either die, or are trapped forever, and well…” He leaned back once more, bringing one leg up to cross over the other. “There’s more than one way to skin a fish.” 

Dean was fairly certain that if it was possible to physically explode with anger, he’d be doing it. He was shaking again but the cause was much different now. He became aware that he’d lost his grip on Cass, but made no move to reclaim it. 

Castiel just narrowed his eyes at Flickerman and shook his head, turning back to face Dean. He took both his hands and laced their fingers, pressing his lips to Dean’s for a brief moment before pulling back and letting go of one of Dean’s hands. “It’s okay. We’re going to be fine.”

Sirius gave him a “what the hell just happened” look, but Dean refused to look at him. Of all the things they had to worry about now, the fact that a dude just kissed his best friend should be the last thing on Sirius’ mind. “I know we are, Cass. I already told you that.” 

Flickerman directed them all to sit down, and for the most part, they listed. Finnick, and to Dean’s surprise, Newt, stayed standing towards the back of the room. “Now, I know you all haven’t had the pleasure of getting the full rundown of the Games, but now that you have been Chosen, you need to know what’s in store for you.” Flickerman stood up from the couch and walked around to the other side of the long table. “Each tribute will have a chance to earn sponsors before they’re officially placed in the Arena -- which, as I’m sure you  _ do  _ know, is Purgatory. You will be expected to show your fighting and survival skills to several pureblood patriarchs, and if you’re lucky enough, one of them will choose you. If you’re sponsored by a pureblood family, you will enter the Arena with every single advantage available to you. Last year, the Malfoy family sent Marvel Henderson into Purgatory with enough food and water to last him a year, not to mention the muggle weapons of his liking and several other odds and ends like clothing and medicine. He had everything he needed right from the jump, thanks to the generosity of the Malfoys.” Flickerman paused long enough to make a face somewhere between embarrassment and humor. “Of course, not even the proper supplies will get you very far in the Arena if you don’t know how to use them. Your professors at Hogwarts are allowed to gift one thing each, but I can’t imagine very many of you made good impressions on any of  _ them,  _ so it’s best not to count on that.” He paced behind the table now, and Dean’s anger was only mounting. ‘Oh! Dear me, I almost forgot.  _ If _ you are lucky and skilled enough to be sponsored by a pureblood family, and also happen to be the one that makes it out alive - you become the property of that family. They are, essentially, assuming full responsibility for you and your futures when they place their symbol of sponsorship on you.” 

“You fuckin’ kiddin’ me? We’re not  _ property,  _ we’re people! People just like you, only bett--” 

“ _ Silencio.”  _ Dean’s words were cut off with the silencing charm, and Flickerman looked to the others. “Do I need to do the same to the rest of you, or can we move along now?” Only quiet, angry glares answered him, so he continued. “You will have one week. One week to impress the families and write whatever goodbye letters you need to. No, no, little Rue, you won’t have a chance to see them in person. The second you became Chosen, you belonged to Voldemort.” 

Dean’s mouth was moving but no sound was coming out.  _ Bastard, you’re a real fucking bastard, let the poor kid say goodbye to her aunt and uncle for fuck’s sake! It’s not gonna hurt anything!  _

Caesar Flickerman clapped his hands together and stood. “There will be Dementors posted at every exit, and Death Eaters will be monitoring closely. Don’t try to escape. Some form of dinner will be waiting for you in this room in exactly two hours. It will remain for only ten minutes, so if you miss it, you starve. Other than that, you are free to roam about this house. Tomorrow morning you will be transported by PortKey to an undisclosed location to begin showing off your skills. I’m sure you all have a lot of questions, but I’m a very busy man and must be going.” Without another word or even a glance in their direction, he disappeared with the other Death Eaters, taking the silencing charm with him. 

Dean turned to face the others once they were alone. “Rule number one. Stay put until we figure out a plan. Step two - no, scratch that, this is actually more important than the other thing - nobody hurts  _ anybody.  _ Everyone got that? We’re not dyin’.”

Castiel moved to Rue and stood behind her. “I agree with Dean. Everyone keeps their hands to themselves. We have to work  _ with _ each other, not  _ against  _ each other.”

The Slytherins rolled their eyes in unison, which Dean wasn’t surprised at all about. “If you three wanna kill each other, be my guest. As for the rest of us, we’re goin’ into this with our eyes open and wands raised. I’ll say it again, we’re  _ not… dying.”  _ Sirius and Finnick both walked to Dean, flanking him. He looked over at Rue and Cass and nodded to both of them. “For now, spread out. Get a good look at this house, find any weak spots. Windows, back doors, shit like that. Do any of you know how to produce a Patronus?” 

Castiel cleared his throat and looked to Dean. “I assume you mean  _ besides _ me?”

Despite the fear inside of him, despite the impossible circumstances, despite it  _ all…  _ Dean smirked. “Yeah,  _ angel,  _ besides you.” He turned to Finn, who nodded once. He looked to Sirius then, and was met with a half-hearted shrug. “Yeah, don’t worry… I couldn’t either at first.” A couple of the others spoke up and said they could, and Ash Harvelle took it a step further. He pulled out his wand and started to say the incantation. Dean threw out a hand. “Whoa, easy buddy, let’s make sure we’re actually alone first. Spread out, but stick in teams of three, okay? Meet back here in ten minutes, and  _ then  _ you can show us your Patronus, Ash.” 

There were a couple of grumbles, but Dean was pleased that no one was outright fighting him on this. It was what he was good at, and he could at least use the skills he’d learned as a hunter-kid-in-training to help them survive this. Dean split off with Cass and Rue, and the three of them searched the house. 

 

_ Castiel _

 

“Jeeze, you think this place has enough bedrooms?” Dean had just opened the door to the fourth one they’d seen. 

Castiel shrugged slightly. “I’m not complaining, they’re probably more comfortable than the four poster ones at Hogwarts.”

Rue giggled from Cass’s other side. “I’m sure they’ll be a  _ lot  _ more comfy, Castiel.”

Cass smiled and kept walking, opening a random door. “Ah, good to know there’s plenty of storage for all the stuff we  _ don’t _ have.”

Dean snorted. “Did you actually just make a joke?”

“Depends on if it was decent enough to be considered as one.” Castiel licked his lips quickly, turning to him.

Dean smirked. “And if I say it wasn’t?”

Castiel shrugged, watching Dean. “Then I suppose it wasn’t a joke, was it?”

“A+ for effort anyway, angel. It was a solid attempt.” Dean kept opening doors, and not finding a single thing worth reporting.

Castiel rolled his eyes but a small smile crept onto his face. He actually felt… he felt  _ better.  _ Dean had reassured them that if they didn’t kill each other, they’d have a better chance of figuring out what to do before someone found the portal. That being said, he by no means was  thrilled to be here. He was much less than thrilled, honestly. He frowned all of a sudden and stopped walking. “Quidditch.”

“Aww, damnit, Cass! As if this shit wasn’t horrible enough, now you gotta remind me I’ll never be on a broom again?” Dean’s shoulders slumped. 

Rue reached around and punched Dean playfully. “Hey, maybe they’ll have brooms in the arena. Or, or maybe someone will sponsor you and you can get your…” she paused and tilted her head. “What was your broom called? The chimney sweep?”

Dean narrowed his eyes at her. “It was a Cleansweep, but if I’m takin’ a damn broom into Purgatory, you can bet your ass it won’t be one of those. They better upgrade me to a Firebolt for this.” 

She giggled and opened a door to reveal a bathroom as they reached the end of the hall. “Well now what?”

Castiel looked to Dean. “I guess we meet back up with the others?”

Dean nodded, chewing on his lip. “Yeah, seems like just a normal house to me. Haven’t seen anyone else so far, so that’s good. Let’s double back to that meeting room thing and see if the others found anything worth anything.”

Rue grinned and ran ahead, opening a door that they had already checked. “I call this room!”

Dean chuckled, looking to Cass. “By my count, some people are gonna have to double up rooms….”

Castiel raised his eyebrows as he stopped walking, smirking slightly. “What are you suggesting, Winchester? You want to hear me snore again?”

He shrugged, continuing to walk ahead. He looked over his shoulder and said, “I can think of worse ways to spend a night in a creepy old house.” 

Castiel felt his stomach twist as the familiar butterflies filled it. He speed-walked to catch up to Dean. “Then yes, I’d be honoured to share a bed with you.” Castiel smiled because he might be able to sleep for more than two hours at a time for once.

“This might be the most horrible thing that’s ever happened to any of us, but at least I’m finally gonna get you alone somewhere we’re not surrounded by  _ books.”  _ Dean grinned and ducked back into the room they first arrived in. 

Castiel bit his lip but followed Dean, looking around to see that Finnick, Sirius and Newt were also back. “Did you guys find anything exciting?”

Finnick smiled. “We’ve got a pool. Maybe we just find a way to drown all the Death Eaters?”

“And live here forever?” Rue asked, grinning. “I like it.”

Sirius bent over slightly to look Rue in the eyes, and nodded meaningfully. “You’re absolutely right. We’re gonna live here forever.” He rubbed his hand on her head, messing her hair up with a grin. 

She huffed with a small smile and fixed her hair, moving to sit down on the couch. “There’s a television!”

The three Ravenclaw tributes came in next, reporting that there is a fully stocked kitchen, but every time they try to touch the food, it disappears. 

“Oh, you gotta be friggen kiddin’ me! What kinda monsters just dangle food in front of someone’s face like that?” Dean groaned, heading out of the room, likely to go see for himself. 

Ash looked at Castiel. “Should I show you my Patronus now, or wait for Dean?”

Castiel clicked his tongue, but shrugged. “Everyone back up, Ash is going to show his Patronus. Please don’t hurt anyone. Or break anything.”

The boy frowned. “I can’t really promise that.  _ Expecto Patronum!”  _ A silver monkey curled its way out of the tip of Ash’s wand and started trapezing around the room.  

The Ravenclaw girl looked at it and nodded approvingly. “And what sort of creature is that?” 

“Luna, it’s a monkey. Just a monkey.” Ash shook his head at her and the monkey fizzled out. 

Dean took this opportunity to come back in, looking harassed. “It’s all right friggen there! You guys know how irritating it is to see somethin’ you want and not be able to actually grab it? They did this shit on purpose, too.”

Castiel furrowed his eyebrows.  _ Wanting something and not being able to have it? Sounds like me last year.  _ He looked to Dean, smiling apologetically. “I’m sure there’s real food around here somewhere, Dean.”

He looked exasperated. “But Cass… there was  _ pie!”  _

Castiel wasn’t about to admit that he’d never had muggle pie before, so he just cleared his throat and hoped for the best. “What… kind of… pie?”

“All the kinds, Cass! Apple, pumpkin, cherry, some kind with nuts in it, I don’t care, it was friggen pie.” He looked downright grumpy at this point. 

“My poor baby,” Castiel shook his head, trying to fight the smile that wanted to creep onto his face, because he had to admit, that was adorable.

Finnick looked between them. “Is there… something the two of you want to share with the class?’ 

Dean looked at Finn, suddenly standing straighter. “I kiss him sometimes when nobody else is lookin’. You got a problem with that?” 

“Unless you happened to be in the same general area as us on the train. In that case,  _ everyone _ was looking.” Castiel crossed his arms, grinning a litte.

One of the other Ravenclaws, Beetee, raised his hand. “I saw you.” 

Dean rolled his eyes. “Yeah, great, awesome, whatever, can we move on now? Of all the things that have happened today, Cass callin’ me ‘baby’ and meaning it is probably the  _ least  _ weird.” 

Castiel nodded in agreement. “He’s not wrong, guys. What the hell are we supposed to do now? Just… wait?”

“I’m gonna park my ass right here until the actual food arrives.” Dean sat down in one of the chairs closest to the table. “Where’d the snakes go?”

Cato sauntered into the room, rolling his eyes. “Real funny, Winchester. We’ve  _ never _ heard that one before.”

Dean grinned and winked. “If it makes you feel better, you can call me a lion.” 

“It doesn’t.” Cato shook his head. 

Dean sat up a little bit. “Well, did you guys find anything or not? You guys have to at least  _ pretend  _ to be useful if we’re gonna make it out of this.”

“There’s like… a  _ room _ downstairs. Like… for training, or something. There’s these bag like things that were hung from ceiling and like… a running thing.” Jack explained, leaning against the wall.

“What are you, a friggen valley girl? Do you get a tip every time you use the word ‘like’ in a sentence?” Dean paused. “Don’t answer that.”

Jack squinted at him. “I’ve just never seen anything lik-” he paused. “Anything o _ f that nature _ , before.”

Dean grunted. “Right. It’s not surprising if they want us to show our strengths or whatever. Good work…. Jack? You’re Jack, right?” 

“You can call me Morningstar, it sounds  _ way _ cooler.” He nodded with a grin, almost  _ too _ excited.

“Yeah, I’m not gonna do that. Anyway, we can check it out later. Until the food arrives, you guys need to practice your Patronuses - if we’re actually surrounded by Dementors, they’re gonna come in handy sooner rather than later.” Dean kicked up his feet on a neighboring chair. 

Rue huffed. “I’ve tried so many times but it  _ never _ works.”

Dean studied her for a moment. “You wanna know the secret?”

“There’s a secret to creating your Patronus?” She raised her eyebrows. 

“Uh huh. And you know it’s a good secret, cuz Cass taught me. You can’t think about the

memory as a whole, you gotta focus on one little part… the part that made you the happiest. If you think about the big picture, too many things can go wrong. Too many other emotions get wrapped up into it. And me, personally? I found that a simple one did the trick, once I took out all the extras. One with no real motives behind it, y’know?”

She nodded slowly and pulled out her wand. She braced her feet and pointed her wand in no real direction. There was a silence that seemed to go on forever as Rue thought before she finally spoke, “ _ Expecto Patronum!” _

A silver streak flew out from Rue’s wand and swirled around, eventually taking the shape of what seemed to be a bird. Her eyes widened as she watched it, a grin spreading across her face. “It’s a Mockingjay!”

Dean beamed at her. “Hey! See, I knew you had it in you. I bet that thing is tough as nails, too… just like you are. It’s gonna do just fine against those evil, soul-sucking pricks.” 

Her face flushed slightly as the Mockingjay disappeared. “Thanks, Dean.”

Castiel grinned at the both of them, looking to Finnick. “Your turn, Finn.”

Finnick nodded and stepped forward. “ _ Expecto Patronum!”  _ It was a seahorse this time that made its way around the room. “After what happened last year, I practiced this spell all summer. Guess that’s a good thing.” 

Castiel squinted at it. “Finn is that- is that a  _ seahorse _ ?”

Finnick nodded as it disappeared. “I like the ocean.” 

Castiel smiled, that was actually kind of sweet. “I like it. It’s very different.”

Newt pushed off of the wall. “I don’t think mine would fit in here, so perhaps we should focus on something else for a little while? Are there any other spells you can think of that might come in handy?” As always, Newt’s eyes were somewhere just out of reach of Cass’s. 

Castiel breathed out, running a hand through his hair. “Uh…”

The food appeared on the table, and Dean’s “hell yeah!” interrupted. 

“ _ Lumos _ might, if it gets dark.” He moved and sat down beside Dean. “Is this food real?”

Dean answered only by shoveling an actual handful in his face, chewing and nodding. “Yeah, ‘s real.” 

Castiel grinned and noticed the bottle of firewhiskey on the table. He cleared his throat and reached for a butterbeer instead. “Good.”

Dean eyed the firewhiskey. “Hah! I told you if we were old enough to get thrown into some death match, we were old enough to drink.” He set down his food and reached for the bottle, standing up. “Anyone else want some or am I goin’ to bed nice and tanked tonight?”

“Hell no, Winchester. You aren’t drinking it all alone.” Finnick smirked. “You’ve gotta share.”

“Hey, take your seahorse and go back to the ocean, or better yet -- there’s a pool out back. Get your own.” Dean grinned and poured Finnick a glass anyway. 

Rue spoke quietly. “Can I try some this time?”

Castiel nodded instantly. “Of course you can. You might not like it, though. It’s quite strong.”

“Ahh, she’ll be fine, won’t ya Rue?” Dean poured a tiny bit in a glass and handed it to her. “Nobody drinks this shit cuz it tastes good, anyway. They drink it cuz it  _ feels  _ good.”

Castiel watched as Rue took the glass and put it to her lips. She took a small sip, scrunching up her face. “It’s… great. So good, really.”

Dean laughed. “Take it easy, kiddo. Don’t hurt yourself, it sneaks up on you quick.” Dean handed a glasses to Cato and Jack, and finally poured one for himself. He leaned back against the table and looked at Cass. “You sure you don’t want any?  It’s only here for ten minutes, then it’s gone.” 

He nodded a little. “Maybe a small glass, then. One of us has got to stay sober.”

“Why? It’s not like they’re comin’ back for us tonight.” He handed Castiel a glass. “Might as well enjoy what’s probably our last night of actual freedom.” 

Castiel took the glass and grinned, downing it quickly after a moment of hesitation. “You’re right, Dean. I don’t swear, not usually, but tonight? Tonight I say  _ fuck it. _ ”

Dean gave an exaggerated shiver. “Now we’re talkin’, angel.” He downed his own glass, and they barely got halfway into their second glasses before the food - and the firewhiskey - disappeared. “Guess the party’s over, huh?” 

Castiel frowned and looked at his hand that was now clutching nothing. “I suppose so. What time is it anyways?”

Sirius looked out the window. “It’s dark, so I’m guessing it’s late. Maybe we should try to get some sleep before those fuckers come back for us in the morning.” 

Dean nodded. “Yeah, there’s twelve of us and seven bedrooms, if the count was correct. Some of us are gonna have to double up. Any takers?”

Luna spoke up. “I’ll share with Rue, since we’re the only girls. Is that alright, Rue?”

Rue nodded, looking to Luna. “That’s okay with me, yes.”

“Alright then, uhh -- Sirius, I know how god fuckin’ awful it is to share a dorm with you, so in the interest of everyone else, you get your own. Cato, you too - I doubt there’d be enough room for a second person in your bed. The rest of you, I don’t care. Just don’t kill each other over it, okay? We’ll meet back here tomorrow morning and see what the hell happens.” 

Castiel nodded in agreement and instinctively moved closer to Dean. “What he said.”

Everyone made their way to the bedrooms and surprisingly not even the Slytherin’s killed anyone. Castiel stood and looked to Dean. “Are you coming?”

Dean looked uncharacteristically nervous, but nodded and followed Cass. “Yeah, I’m here.” 

 

_ Dean _

 

Dean wasn’t sure why he was nervous about this. More than likely, most of them would be dead soon and wouldn’t be able to say a damn thing about the fact that he followed Castiel entirely too eagerly into the room and shut the door behind him. 

Dean’s heart was beating too fast again, just hammering away at his chest loud enough that he was convinced Cass could hear it. He turned away from the door and walked over to the bed. “At least it’s warm in here, those assholes didn’t leave us pajamas.” 

Castiel shivered, nodding. “I see that. I’m not surprised.”

Dean’s brows pinched together as he pulled his robes off. “You’re shivering… you cold?” 

“Uh… I’m alright.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled his shoes and socks off. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m… aces. All good over here, nothin’ to worry about.” He followed Cass’s lead, honestly not sure how much to take off or leave on. He decided to leave the socks, but pulled off his shirt. 

Castiel pulled his shirt off as well and stood, looking down at his pants. “These won’t be comfortable to sleep in. Do you, uh, do you mind?”

Suddenly Dean’s mouth was very dry, and he attempted to swallow. “No, uhh… it’s fine. You’re probably right, anyway. We might as well get comfortable.” Dean grabbed ahold of a split second of courage that he felt, and tugged his pants off. He quickly moved to the bed in just his boxers and his socks and climbed in. “Luckily for you, I friggen radiate body heat, so if you  _ are  _ cold, you won’t be for long.” 

Castiel bit his lip and watched Dean, pulling his own pants off as he straightened his boxers before crawling into the bed beside Dean. “I’m uh- I’m actually pretty cold, now that I think about it.”

 

Dean relaxed slightly.  _ See? The guy’s cold, now you’ve got an excuse. You can do this, you’ve got a reason to now, it doesn’t have to be all weird.  _ “Oh, well uh… come here then.” He lifted the blanket up and extended his arm. 

Castiel rolled so he was laying on his side next to Dean, laying his arm across Dean’s torso, smiling. “Thanks.”

Dean licked his lip, acutely aware of every bit of contact between their skin. “Yeah, no problem. But uhh… you might want to get a little closer.” He added quickly, “Y’know… for warmth. Don’t want you catchin’ a cold before we get tossed into Purgatory.” 

“Oh, of course.” Castiel slid closer, resting his head on Dean’s shoulder. “Is this… is this okay?”

Dean nodded quickly. “Yeah, yeah… ‘s fine.” He wrapped his arm fully around Cass and then stopped moving entirely. 

Castiel relaxed against Dean, tilting his head up slightly as he whispered, “kiss me, Dean.”

Dean’s lips were on Cass’ before he could even attempt to talk himself out of it. His hand was moving again too, his fingertips trailing up and down Cass’ bare back. 

Castiel shuddered, biting Dean’s bottom lip gently, his eyes closed. 

Dean was half horrified, half embarrassed at the sound that came out of him. He reclaimed his lip and then deepened the kiss, his hand sliding further down Cass’s back and stopping on his hip. He slid his leg between Cass’s and pulled him even closer. 

Castiel smiled against Dean’s lips and pulled back long enough to say, “I lied about being cold, by the way.” He pressed his lips to Dean’s again, interlocking their fingers on Dean’s free hand.

Dean pulled those hands above Cass’s head, using that as an opportunity to roll them so Dean was hovering over him. “I know, your skin’s on fire. What’s the matter, angel? Getting a little overheated?” He dipped his head down to bite Cass’ neck, tightening his grip on his hand. 

Castiel gasped quietly and tilted his head to the side, biting his lip. “N-no, not overheated. I’m great, a-actually.”

“Mmmhm. I know you are, I can  _ feel _ how  _ great  _ you are.” The hand he still had on Cass’ waist squeezed him there, and he bit down a little harder, sucking over the teeth marks. 

Castiel brought his free hand to the back of Dean’s head, twirling his fingers into his hair as he moaned softly. 

_ Jesus, does he always sound like this?  _ He flicked his tongue across the bruise that was already forming on Cass’ neck. “We should uhhh… we should sleep.” 

Castiel squirmed beneath Dean, his eyes fluttering closed. “You’re probably correct.” He bent his knee, fitting it between Dean’s legs.

It was Dean’s turn to moan, and he buried his face in Cass’ neck to muffle the sound. “That was rude. I don’t -- I -- we need to quit, before I  _ can’t  _ quit.” 

Castiel whined quietly but straightened his legs, relaxing beneath Dean. “You’re right, you’re right.”

_ C’mon, Cass. Tell me I’m wrong, not that I’m right. Fight me on this. I don’t wanna stop.  _ But stop he did. With a hard exhale, he rolled off of Cass and laid on his back. “Just c’mere.” 

Castiel sat up quickly, suddenly very grateful they got the bedroom with the bathroom attached to it. “I uh- I need to uh… I got hot and a cold shower is something that will… uh..” He scrambled out of bed before Dean could notice anything and into the bathroom, the sound of the shower turning on heard.

_ Smooth fuckin’ move, Winchester. You finally get the guy alone and he’s about to take a cold shower instead of --  _ He groaned loudly, rolling over and burying his face in the pillow.  _ We’re probably gonna fuckin’ die, and you’re gonna chicken out now?  _ Dean took a few deep breaths into the pillow, calming himself down in the same way he imagined Cass was doing in that cold, lonely shower. He rolled back onto his back when he thought it was safe, and closed his eyes. 

The sound of the shower turning off was followed by Castiel appearing from the bathroom in his boxers again, teeth chattering as he dove into bed and cuddled into Dean’s side. 

Dean kept his eyes closed, because he was positive that the sight of Castiel still wet from the shower would undo absolutely any resolve he had to behave. Instead, he wrapped himself around Cass and pulled him close, rubbing his palms over his arm to help create friction. “Just give it a minute, you’ll be warm again soon.” 

He nodded and closed his eyes, reaching down to pull Dean’s leg between his again. “L-leave it there. If you’re comfortable, I mean.”

And he was, for some stupid reason he couldn’t wrap his head around in that moment, this was probably the most comfortable he’d ever been in his life. “Yeah, okay. I can do that.” He planted a kiss to Cass’ forehead, his nose rubbing against his wet hair. “Get some sleep, angel. I got you, okay? No one can do a goddamned thing about it, either.” 

Castiel let out a deep breath, pressing himself closer to Dean as he nodded quickly. “I know. I’ve got you too.”


	6. Smells Like Teen Spirit

_ Castiel _

  
  


“Wake up!” 

A loud knock on the door caused Dean to stir next to him. Castiel refused to open his eyes, mumbling “No.” 

The door swung open anyway. Neither Dean nor Cass moved a muscle, their limbs still intertwined. “Go-way.” Dean’s words were slurred from sleep, but Castiel smiled at their intent.

“Oh,  _ gross,  _ guys! There were pajamas and clothes in the dressers, didn’t you even think to look or were you too eager to be --” Finnick made a grossed out noise and continued, “whatever the hell you two are right now?”

Dean sat up, his hair a mess and a wet spot shining on the side of his face. His eyes were narrowed. “Finn, not for nothin’, but if you don’t wanna be the first to die… you might wanna close the damn door.” He laid back down, snuggling into the bed. 

Cass smiled contentedly, but Finnick kept speaking. “They’re coming back for us today, Dean. You need to get your ass out of bed and get dressed, the rest of these idiot kids are counting on  _ you two  _ because you took charge last night.” He could hear rustling and the sound of boots hitting the floor, then a grinding sound. The next thing he knew, Finnick had thrown clothes on him and Dean.

Dean bolted upright. “Alright, man… jesus, just get outta here for a damn minute. We’ll be right out.” 

Finnick made an irritated noise, but the door shut behind him on his way out.

Castiel yawned and sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. “It’s so bright.”

“Mmmhm.” Dean pulled him back down and threw the covers over both of them. “They can wait another five damn minutes.” 

Cass grinned and snuggled down next to him again, closing his eyes. He hummed contently as he spoke, “I agree.”

Dean started to say something else, when the door opened again. “For fucks sake, guys, honestly!” It was Sirius this time, from the sound of it. 

Dean shot up, whipping the blanket off of him and sliding out of bed. “I swear to god you all  _ actually  _ have death wishes. I’m comin’, alright?” More rustling sounds were heard as Dean started to get dressed. 

Cass sighed quietly, stretching his arms out. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “There’s a spell to unlock doors, there has to be one to lock them too, right?”

“Yeah, there is. Guess we’ll be usin’ that tonight.” Dean had put on the jeans and plain black t-shirt that Finnick had thrown at him and was now pulling on his boots. He looked up to Sirius. “What, you wanna tie my laces for me or somethin’? I’m up.” 

Sirius rolled his eyes and walked away.

Castiel chuckled and stood, opening the drawers to find other clothing that looked seemingly normal and his robes he discarded on the floor last night had disappeared. He frowned slightly but grabbed a pair of jeans, pulling them on. “Did you sleep well?”

Dean was attempting to fix his hair in the mirror over the dresser. He shrugged. “Way better than normal, actually… all things considered. You?”

Castiel smiled and met Dean’s eyes in the mirror. “Actually, yes. That’s the first time since the beginning of summer where I’ve slept the whole night.” He moved to stand beside Dean, his eyes widening when he noticed the bruise on his neck, reaching up to touch it. 

Dean had followed his gaze, and grimaced. “Yeah, uhh… sorry about that. Guess I got a little carried away.”

Cass looked to Dean, shaking his head. “I never said I didn’t like it.” He grinned and leaned over, kissing Dean’s cheek. “Now come on, breakfast is probably going to work the same way dinner did last night.”

Castiel looked around for his wand and saw it on the ground next to the bed, leaning over to pick it up. He tucked it in his waistband and then went to the door, looking back at Dean. 

Dean looked a little stunned. “They can’t take the bacon away like that. They  _ wouldn’t.”  _ He seemed to all of a sudden find his legs, because he was quickly walking past Castiel and into the hallway, heading towards the meeting room.

Castiel shook his head with a grin, following Dean out of the bedroom and into the meeting room. He looked around and noticed the Slytherin’s hadn’t shown up yet. “Are they still asleep?”

Newt shrugged. “We haven’t seen them, it’s just been us so far.”

Dean scoffed, peeking his head back out of the door to glance up and down the hallway. “Good riddance, this shit will be a lot easier without them.”

Castiel chuckled and crossed his arms, looking to Rue. “Did you sleep alright?”

She nodded, but pulled Cass aside. “Luna’s… weird.”

“I know, believe me.” He nudged her. “Are you hungry?”

She nodded again. “There hasn’t been any mention of breakfast or anything like that. The kitchen is still full off the food that disappears once you touch it.”

As she said this, the long table in the meeting room began to be filled with breakfast foods of all sorts as Castiel grinned. “There you go.”

Dean was shoulder-checking Sirius in an attempt to get to the table first. “C’mon, man! You actually ate last night, I didn’t --” More struggling ensued, but it looked like Dean ultimately stepped aside after Sirius reminded him he  _ could  _ have eaten, but was more worried about getting Cass drunk. 

Castiel laughed, watching them. “Guys, there’s going to be enough for all of us, relax.”

Dean grabbed himself a plate full of food and went over to sit on the couch Caesar Flickerman occupied last night. Finnick, Sirius, Newt and Rue followed, and the smell of breakfast must have enticed the Ravenclaws to join too, because Ash, Beetee and Luna came in moments later.

Castiel watched them all, leaning against the wall. “What time do you think they’re going to take us at?”

“It’s hard to say. If they want us to show them what we can do, you’d think they’d come relatively early.” Newt was picking at his food as he spoke. “But these are Death Eaters we’re talking about, and Caesar admitted yesterday that the entire Choosing was rigged. They might never come for us at all.”

“Oh, they’ll come. They want us in Purgatory. They want us to fight each other, which we’re not gonna do -- just in case any of you needed a reminder.” Dean must have inhaled his breakfast, because his plate was now empty, resting on the table next to where he’d propped up his feet. 

Castiel nodded in agreement, breathing out. “No one’s fighting each other.”

Cato rolled his eyes as he appeared from the basement, sweaty. “You say that now.”

“I say that  _ always,  _ meathead. They can’t force us to fight each other, there has to be another way.” Dean was glaring at Cato, leaning forward slightly as if he was ready to stand up and prove his point in whatever way he needed to.

“Whether you fight each other or not, you’re all gonna end up dead. Only one of us gets to make it through that portal and you heard Flickerman last night. Fight each other, don’t fight each other, I don’t give a shit, but at the end of the day only one of us is gonna live and even then it’s not really living. We’ll be sent to Voldemort to be his newest bitch, and that’s all there is to it.” Cato shrugged, grabbing a bottle of water off of the table.

“Yeah, that might be all there is to it for someone with the brain the size of a pea, but I’m not givin’ up that easy. I volunteered for this shit, remember? You honestly think I’d have done that if I didn’t have a fucking plan to survive it?” Dean was on his feet now, taking an almost aggressive step towards Cato.

“Woah.” Castiel stepped in between them. “If you’re gonna kill each other, save it for the arena.” 

Cato just smirked as he pulled his shirt off and turned, headed towards the bathroom. “I need a shower.”

“Good luck washin’ the slime off of you. You’re gonna need it.” Dean turned back to the couch and sat down, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He was rubbing the top of his head with both hands. “God, I fuckin’ hate Slytherins.” 

Castiel moved and sat down beside him, rubbing his back gently. “I know you do. I think that’s a common theme amongst most of us.”

Dean lifted his head, looking around the room. “Anyone else wanna follow Cato’s lead and give up before we even friggen start?”

Everyone in the room shook their heads. “Cato’s probably the only one, Dean. He’s to self-centered to think about anyone other than himself,” Rue mumbled, eating her last piece of toast.

Dean let out a breath. “You’re probably right, Rue. But that means all of us need to steer clear of him, pretty much starting  _ now.  _ He’s dangerous and doesn’t care if the rest of us live or die, he won’t hesitate to step over us - hell,  _ through  _ us -  on his way to that portal.” 

Rue tensed and set her plate down as everyone nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

Castiel breathed out. “We can’t trust the Slytherins, moreso now than ever.”

Dean nodded, and Sirius stepped forward. “Yeah, we can all agree on that. Now, Winchester… about that plan.” 

 

_Dean_

 

The funny thing about plans… was that Dean didn’t have one. He didn’t have a clue how he was supposed to get between nine and twelve people out of a place he’s never been to, that’s only known exit allows just a single person through before closing. It was impossible, and Dean knew it. He hadn’t been thinking about escaping  _ or  _ surviving when he’d volunteered for Sam. He hadn’t been thinking about anything past the fact that those few words would allow him to protect both his brother and his friends, and that was all there was to it. Now, Sam was safe back at Hogwarts. Sure, he’d be devastated and worried - but he’d be  _ safe.  _ And plan or no plan, Dean was still of more use to his friends here than he would have been in History of Magic or Potions class. He’d just have to improvise until he could come up with an actual plan. 

Luckily for Dean, he didn’t have to work very hard this time. He’d opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off in every sense when Caesar Flickerman and Seneca Crane appeared in front of him, effectively blocking him from the rest of his friends. 

“Playtime is over, children. Now the  _ real  _ fun can begin,” Flickerman stated. Dean inched around Seneca Crane to join the rest of the tributes, standing defensively in front of Rue and Luna. “Today is part one of your training exercises. As a reminder, you will have a few days to prepare and stretch out your magical and non-magical limbs, and then exactly one week from today you will be taken to an extra special part of the training facility where you will be expected to put your best foot - or wand arm - forward. You will have an opportunity to show the pureblood families and your professors what you can do individually, and that will decide if you receive a leg up when going into the Arena. Does anyone have any questions?” 

Beetee Latier’s hand shot up, as did Finnick’s. Flickerman looked right at them and ignored them. “Excellent, I like a confident group that doesn’t ask too many questions. Now, without further ado... “ Flickerman  brandished two odd-looking objects from his jacket and handed one to Sirius, and kept the other for himself. “These are PortKeys, I’m assuming you all know that their purpose is to teleport us from one place to another so grab ahold… quickly now, come on.” 

Everyone quickly scrambled to get a finger on one of the PortKeys, and about a minute of confused claustrophobia later, Dean was very much reacquainted with the feeling of being compressed and yanked through time and space. 

 

**_Castiel: Day One_ **

 

Castiel’s eyes scanned the area when they landed.  _ Four walls… concrete? Tables… is that a cauldron? Are those plants? And those… those are guns. Muggle guns. Muggle  _ **_weapons_ ** _.  _ His eyes flicked to an empty room that was higher off the ground, built into the wall. Castiel tilted his head slightly but eventually pulled his eyes away, watching as some of the others began to test things out.

He walked towards the muggle guns but stayed a far bit back,w watching Cato pick one up. He wondered if Cato even knew how to use one of those, or if he was just doing it in hopes to seem tough. By the way Cato loaded it quickly, Castiel felt as if it wasn’t just for show.

He swallowed hard and made his way over to where he saw all the plants. Rue was sitting down there, matching the name of plants to the plants themselves. Castiel sat down beside her, resting his elbows on the table.“You’re really good at this.” He smiled at her, flipping the card that read ‘Dittany’ over. Written on the back was:  _ Dittany is a powerful healing herb and restorative and may be eaten raw to cure shallow wounds.  _

Rue smiled slightly and looked over at him. “Herbology is my favourite.”

Castiel pointed to another plant, it had what looked like brown spots on it, its tips were a reddish colour and near the stem a dull green. “Alright, Rue. If you’re so clever, what’s this one?”She rolled her eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s an Alihotsy plant. It causes uncontrollable laughter.”

Castiel raised his eyebrow and looked around for that card. When he found it, he flipped it over and read the back:  _ Alihotsy (also known as the Hyena tree) is a magical tree. The leaves of the plant can induce hysteria and uncontrollable laughter. _

“Wow.” Castiel nodded to her. “Okay and… that one?” He pointed to a plant with a black stem and white petals.

“Moly,” Rue answered simply. “It undoes enchantments.”

Castiel reached for card that read ‘Moly’ and flipped it over. He scanned the words and then read outloud, “Moly is a powerful plant that can be eaten to counteract enchantments.”

“Told you.” Rue grinned. Castiel chuckled quietly and stood, ruffling her hair. “Alright, you keep up the good work, okay? I’m going to go see what the others are doing.”

Rue nodded and huffed, fixing her hair. “Okay, Castiel. I’ll see you later.”

Castiel left the Herbology station and walked over to the table that held the cauldron. He noticed a shelf on the wall that held many different potion ingredients and moved closer to it. 

He scanned the shelves and grabbed an armful of ingredients, then walked back to the cauldron. He set the ingredients down and picked up the powdered moonstone. He added some of it, watching as the potion changed colour, eventually reaching green. 

He set the moonstone down and began to stir, waiting for the potion to turn blue. After a few moments it reached that colour of blue that was required.

Castiel resumed with the powdered moonstone, waiting until the concoction turned purple. 

After it eventually reached the necessary colour, he turned down the heat on the burner, bringing the potion to a simmer. He rested his arms on the table, watching the potion intently.

_ Come on… turn pink. 3… 2… 1… PINK. _ He sighed when it didn’t turn pink and closed his eyes, trying to think about where he could’ve gone wrong. When he opened his eyes again, the colour of the potion staring back at him was indeed pink.

He grinned and reached for the syrup of hellebore, adding it slowly. The potion turned turquoise, so Castiel stopped adding hellebore and let it simmer again. 

The process of making this potion continued on for a while, Castiel doing the second last step which was adding powdered porcupine quills, stirring at the same time, waiting for the potion to turn white. 

“Novak!” A voice called from behind him which he quickly recognized as Finnick’s. “Whatcha doin’?”

“Making a Draught of Peace potion, Finn.” Castiel didn’t turn to him but became aware of his presence when he was suddenly standing on the other side of the table.“How the hell d’you remember the recipe for that?” Finnick asked, peering into the cauldron.

“I don’t know. Practice, probably. Or there’s this thing called  _ studying _ . Perhaps you should look into it one day.” Castiel smirked, stopping his stirring and halting with the porcupine quills when the potion turned white. 

Castiel reached out and lowered the heat on the cauldron so it was simmering again, before reaching for the hellebore syrup once more. He opened the jar and tipped it over the cauldron, counting in his head.  _ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Seven drops of hellebore. _

Setting the syrup down again, he and Finnick waited patiently, watching as the potion turned turquoise once more. Castiel grinned and shut off the flame under the cauldron before pouring it into an empty vial.

“I gotta say, Novak, I’m impressed.” Finnick nodded, his eyebrows raised. “Good work.”

“Thanks, Finn. Have you seen Dean?” Castiel asked, wrapping his hand around the vial.

“You mean the guy who gave you  _ that? _ ” Finnick smirked, pointing to the dark bruise on Castiel’s neck.

Castiel cleared his throat as he felt his face heating up. “Shut up and just tell me where he is.”

Finnick pointed behind Castiel to where the trapping station was. Dean looked like he was in the middle of attempting some complicated muggle knot. “Hey! Winchester! Your boyfriend needs you!” 

Dean looked up, his eyebrows furrowed. They relaxed as he stood up, walking over to them. “Yeah, sorry. Got a little carried away. What’s up?”

Castiel shot Finnick a look and was suddenly wishing he had made a Draught of Living Death potion instead. He watched Finnick smirk and walk off before Castiel turned to Dean. 

“What have you been practicing?”

Dean shrugged. “Cato’s hoggin’ the good shit, so I was tryin’ to work on my snares. I figure we’re probably gonna have to trap our dinner more often than not, and it’s been awhile since I’ve actually hunted.” 

Castiel nodded, watching him. “Cato seems to know what he’s doing too. Did he come from a muggle family?”

Dean shook his head. “Nah, his blood’s  _ pure.”  _ He said the last word with obvious distaste. “It’s more likely his folks knew he was gonna be Chosen, especially if this thing was rigged all the way around. I heard some families train their kids for this shit, like they  _ hope  _ they’ll be taken.” 

Castiel’s eyes widened as he licked his bottom lip quickly. “That’s… that’s fucked up.”

Dean blinked at him. “Dude, it still sounds  _ so  _ weird when you cuss.” He shook his head quickly. “Anyway, Finn said you needed me?” 

Castiel nodded and showed him the vial of the potion. “It’s Draught of Peace. I know you’ve been stressed and worried and stuff so I just figured… here.” He handed it to him, before folding his hands behind his back.

Dean took it with a surprised look. “Cass, that’s… thanks.” He gave the vial an almost hungry look, but then held it out to Cass. “Give it to Rue. I’ve got you to keep me calm, she’s all alone. She needs it more than I do.” 

Castiel smiled slightly and took it back, nodding. “Yes, alright, I’ll do that. She’s over at the Herbology station, she really knows her plants.”

Dean grinned. “Of course she does, she’s a Hufflepuff. Aren’t you people like… born with flowers stickin’ out of your ears?” 

Cass rolled his eyes, mimicking Dean. “ _ Born with flowers sticking out of your ears.” _ He shook his head with a grin. “I must be a terrible Hufflepuff, then.”

“Well, you kinda are. Everybody with half a brain knows you shoulda been a Ravenclaw.” He clapped Cass on the shoulder. “Guess even the Sorting Hat fucks things up every now and then, right? Anyway, I’m gonna get back to my knots. Tell Rue I said ‘bottoms up,’ okay? Don’t let her talk herself out of it. The kid deserves a break.” Dean didn’t wait for Cass to respond; he turned on his heels and jogged back over to the station he’d been at, settling down once more with his snares.

Castiel watched Dean go, smiling a little before returning to Rue. “You know there  _ are  _ other stations in this place, right?”

“None that I’ll be good at,” she huffed, looking to him. “What’s that?”“What’s what? Oh, this?” He held up the vial. “It’s a Draught of Peace potion. It’s for you.” He hands it to her. “It’s to calm you down, stop your nerves.”

She took the potion, smiling a little bit. “Thank you, Castiel. I appreciate it.”

Castiel smiled as well, nodding. “You’re most welcome, Rue. Come on, drink it. Dean says ‘bottoms up.’”

Rue opened the vial and drank it, Castiel watching as Rue visibly relaxed. “Do you feel better?”

She nodded, holding onto the vial that still had some remaining. “I do, actually. Thank you again.”

Suddenly Seneca Crane and Caesar Flickerman appeared, Seneca speaking rather loudly. “Gather round, gather round. Your training session for day one is over.”

Castiel watched as the other tributes reluctantly made their way over to the two, Castiel waiting for Rue before joining.

Castiel took a deep breath and braced himself, stumbling when they all landed back at the house without Crane or Flickerman.

Dean looked around. “Where’d those fuckers go? Did they honestly just cut and run? I’ve got questions that need answers.” 

Sirius shrugged. “I’m sure dinner will be the same deal as last night, Winchester. You’ve got ten minutes to eat once it shows up, so maybe this time you pay more attention to the food than Cass?” 

Dean shot him a glare, but the food showed up at that moment and Dean made a beeline for it. 

Castiel felt his stomach rumbling as he looked at the food. It had only just occurred to him that he hadn’t had breakfast this morning, simply because he was afraid he’d puke. He grabbed a roll off the table and leaned against the wall, watching everyone else and secretly hoping there’d be no food left for the Slytherins. “So tonight we just… wait? Same thing as last night?”

Dean shook his head, his mouth entirely full of food. He chewed quickly and swallowed. “No,” he coughed, presumably from food stuck in his throat. His voice was clear when he spoke again. “No, we’re not waiting for anything. The real training will happen here. We’ve seen what they’ve got to offer us, so... “ Dean eyed the food again. “Okay, if we’ve seriously only got ten minutes to eat, we’re gonna have to talk later. Sorry, angel.” Dean promptly shoved a handful of food in his mouth again, foregoing the silverware entirely. 

Castiel shook his head with a small smile as he broke his roll in half, taking a bite. “That’s true. We’re like animals to them.”

Dean mumbled his agreement, but was busy trying to stuff his pockets full of food as he chewed what was already in his mouth. 

Castiel watched everyone eat quietly for a while, before Rue reached for a butterbeer and all the food disappeared. Castiel frowned, sighing quietly. “Well, that’s over.”

Dean looked horrified and quickly patted his pockets, which seemed to do absolutely nothing to comfort him. “God  _ damnit!”  _ He deflated and stood from the table. “Alright, since those bastards don’t seem to believe in dessert, I guess we can get to work.” 

Newt spoke up. “Dean… don’t you think we’ve done enough work today?” 

“Look, I can’t make any of you do anything. But the way I see it, this is simple. Like it or not, those sponsors are our only chance of surviving Purgatory long enough to even think about getting out. We need them, and so we gotta do this right. And even if we put that aside, personally I’d feel better if I knew you guys knew how to throw a decent jinx at someone. I thought we’d practice on the Slytherins.” He grinned widely, looking to Cato. 

Cato clicked his tongue, chuckling quietly. “Yeah, I don’t think so, Winchester.” He paused for a second as if he was debating something, before he tilted his head and spoke “on second thought, let’s do it. No promises we won’t accidentally kill someone, though. Jinx’s can get outta hand.”

“It’s cute you think you’ve got enough juice to knock the life outta someone, Cato. But fine, I’ll tell you what. You let the girls practice on you, I’ll let you practice on me.”

Castiel shook his head quickly, grabbing Dean’s arm and pulling him back. “That is a  _ terrible _ idea, Dean.”

Dean ignored him, looking at Cato. “Going once… twice…” 

Cato clicked his tongue and smirked. “Fine, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Castiel clenched his jaw and let go of Dean’s arm rather forcefully, shaking his head but staying quiet.

Dean nodded once, glancing briefly at Cass before looking back to Cato. “Alright then. Rue and Luna get to do whatever the hell they want, and if you feel the need to retaliate, you point your wand at me. If you so much as disarm one of them, the deal’s off.” Cato nodded his agreement, and Dean looked to Rue. “You’re up, little one. Give him hell.” 

Rue tensed and then followed everyone else down to the training room downstairs. She stood across from Cato and looked over at Castiel. He shifted and tried to hide his fear, crossing his arms and nodding to her. 

Rue cleared her throat and pointed her wand at a very confident-looking Cato. “ _ Melofors!”  _ Suddenly, Cato’s expression wasn’t visible, because his head was encased in a rather large pumpkin. 

Cato yelled out loudly and tried to pull the pumpkin off of his head. “Get it off of me!”

Dean was laughing loudly, then waved his wand and said the counter-jinx. “You owe me now, Cato. I coulda let you walk around like that forever.” 

Cato shot Rue the  _ deadliest _ look, almost as if he’d rather have been harmed than embarrassed like that. He turned quickly and pointed his wand at Dean. “ _ Locomotor Wibbly!” _

Castiel watched as Dean’s legs collapsed beneath him, clenching his jaw a little.

Dean, for his part, just glared and stood back up. “Yeah, yeah. Alright, Luna. You next.” 

Luna looked almost frightfully between Dean, Cass and Cato, but then her eyes narrowed and she pointed her wand. “ _ Engorgio Skullus!”  _ It would appear the girls weren’t very fond of Cato’s head, because now it’s size was expanding rapidly. 

Cato yelled out angrily again, pointing his wand at Dean before the counter-jinx was even said. “ _ Flipendo!” _

Castiel rolled his eyes and pulled his own wand out, pointing it at Cato. “ _ Redactum Skullus _ ! Hey, look at that Cato, now you owe me too.”

Dean had gotten pushed back by Cato’s jinx, but stayed on his feet. “Nice work, Cass, but I think he was better lookin’ when his head was all swollen like that.” Dean brushed off his shirt and looked at Rue. “Kick his ass.” 

Rue nodded to Dean, looking encouraged by the fact that Cato wasn’t actually hurting Dean in retaliation. She pointed her wand at Cato and shouted  _ “Rictusempra!”  _ and then giggled wildly as Cato fell on the floor, almost cackling under the influence of the tickling curse. 

Cato was half laughing, half screaming as he rolled around on the ground, his arms wrapped around his stomach. “S-stop! M-make it s-stop!”

Rue released him from the curse, but Luna quickly stepped in to take her place, firing off another one before Cato could even stand back up. “ _ Slugulus Eructo!”  _

Cato began to aggressively vomit slugs, doubling over as they spewed out of him. Castiel cringed and looked to Luna. “Really?”

Luna shrugged. “It’s surprisingly effective. If we needed to run, we’d have ample time to escape.” 

Dean grimaced. “Yeah, you guys might wanna head back upstairs. I don’t think Cato’s gonna be in the mood to play much once he’s done pukin’ slugs.” 

Alecto Carrow stepped out of the corner where he was standing and pointed his wand at Dean. “ _ Sectumsempra!” _

Dean gasped quietly, looking down at his chest. Blood started pouring out of his very-shredded t-shirt. He looked up at Cass with wide eyes, his mouth hanging slightly open. He dropped to his knees. “Cass -- v-vulnera sanen--sanent--” 

Finnick’s voice rang out as he stepped between Dean and Alecto, pointing his wand at the latter.  _ “Petrificus Totalus!”  _ Alecto went stone still and tipped over just as Dean fell the rest of the way to the ground. 

Castiel ran over to Dean and fell beside him, his heart racing as he held onto him. He was well aware of the counter-jinx and knew it had to be said in a sing-song voice. “ _ Vulnera Sanentur! _ ” 

Castiel held onto Dean and hummed quietly, watching as the blood disappeared, no longer affected by the sounds of Cato puking.

Dean latched onto Cass’s arm. “K-keep going, please, Cass --” 

After waiting until the blood stopped completely, he pointed his wand at Dean again, closing his eyes. “ _ Vulnera Sanentur! _ ”

The wounds on Dean’s chest started to stitch back together, and Luna dragged a very frightened Rue back up the stairs and out of sight. “One more time.” Dean’s voice was stronger, but he was still squeezing Cass’s arm hard enough that it was starting to hurt.

Finnick rallied up all the others and sent them out as well, standing at the door to guard it and telling Sirius to make sure no one got murdered upstairs.Castiel kept his wand pointed at Dean and said through a shaky, sing-song voice, “ _ Vulnera Sanentur! _ ”

A few moments later, the wounds on Dean’s chest and stomach were just bright pink scars. He heaved in a breath and looked at Cass with a half-smile. “You should sing more often.” 

Castiel glared at Dean but pulled him into a tight hug, burying his face in Dean’s neck. “I was so worried, Dean. So fucking worried.”

Dean looked up to where Alecto was still frozen on the ground. “Yeah, that wasn’t part of the deal.” 

The sound of vomiting had stopped, and Cato stood slowly. “I know it wasn’t. I didn’t tell him to do that.” 

Castiel ignored Cato and didn’t let go of Dean, whispering. “You could’ve died before we even got into Purgatory.”

Dean let out a breath. “Yeah, but I didn’t. Maybe we should just stick to easy shit from here on out, and no more practicing on each other.” Dean looked up at Cato, who nodded and then surprisingly, kicked Alecto. 

“We’ve got enough enemies without adding to the list. I could have used that curse from the jump, but I didn’t. He had no business even getting involved, I can fight my own fucking battles.” Cato glared down at Alecto and then headed for the stairs. “Leave him there until it wears off, I’ll deal with him later.” He ducked around Finnick and disappeared up the stairs. 

Dean looked at Cass. “How’d you know the counter curse?” 

He pulled back, flicking his eyes between Dean’s. “I studied  _ way  _ more spells than I needed to for Charms class last year.”

Dean grinned and stood up, slightly unsteady on his feet but otherwise now unharmed. “Tryin’ to impress me, Novak?” 

Castiel shook his head and got to his feet, realizing he had some of Dean’s blood stained on his shirt, but not mentioning it. “No, I just figured you’d have  _ Sectumsempra _ used on you at some point and figured I should be prepared.”

Dean huffed a laugh. “Yeah, I do have a serious problem with pissin’ people off, don’t I?” He shook his head, then walked over to Finnick. “Thanks for uhh… y’know. The revenge jinx.”

The corner of Finnick’s mouth turned up in a tiny smile, but he scoffed. “I didn’t do it for you,  _ dick.  _ I did it so he didn’t go all curse-crazy and kill all of us. Don’t let it go to your head.” 

Dean chuckled and turned back to Cass. “You comin’? I think we could all use showers and some sleep at this point. And you should probably make sure Rue’s okay, she looked scared out of her damn mind and we all know she likes you best.” 

Castiel nodded and walked towards the stairs. “You’re right. Lead the way.”

Dean followed Finnick up the stairs and back into the main hallway. “I’m gonna grab a shower, I’ll just meet you in the room whenever you talk to Rue and get cleaned up, okay?” 

Castiel blinked at Dean and nodded. “Yes, alright.” He turned and knocked on the door to the room that Luna and Rue shared.

“Rue?” Castiel called softly but loud enough to be heard. The door opened and Luna was there. 

“Can I help you?” Luna asked, her eyebrows raised. 

“Uh… is Rue in here?” Castiel asked, trying to look around Luna. 

“She is.” Luna confirmed simply.

Castiel squinted at her. “Can I see her, then?”

Luna looked back at Rue who nodded slowly. Luna stepped out of the room, brushing past Castiel. Castiel raised his eyebrow, but walked in, closing the door after her.

“Hey, Rue. Are you alright? It was really scary back there.” Castiel said softly, moving to sit on the bed beside her. 

She sniffled and looked down. “Is Dean okay?”Castiel breathed out and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “He’s alright, yes. I did the counter-jinx, all he has now are a few scars.”

“Why did Alecto do that?” Rue asked, her voice shaky as she laid her head on Castiel’s shoulder.

“I don’t know, honestly. Cato didn’t tell him to do that, he probably wanted to protect his friend and overreacted.”

“Slicing someone open isn’t how you protect your friends!” Rue exclaimed.

Castiel kissed the top of her head, nodding. “I know it’s not. We all know it’s not, except for Alecto, apparently.”

“Is it my fault, Castiel? Is it my fault that Dean got hurt?” She asked in barely a whisper.

“Absolutely not, Rue.” He pulled back from her and turned to face her, turning her face to his gently. “It’s nobody’s fault except Alecto’s. And maybe Dean’s for suggesting such a stupid idea. He had good intentions, they just didn’t pan out that way.”

She sniffled and nodded, wiping her eyes. “Okay.”He watched her, swallowing hard.  _ If she thinks this is bad, how the hell is she going to handle Purgatory? _ “Alright, are you okay?”“Yes.” She smiled slightly, nodding. 

“Good. Get some sleep, okay? I’ll see you in the morning.” Castiel stood and left the room, walking past a very narrowed eyed Luna. 

He opened the door to the room him and Dean shared and walked in, pulling his shirt off as he walked. “She’s a little shaken up, but she’ll be alright. She’s worried about you.”

Dean was sitting on the edge of the bed in just pajama pants. He nodded, his voice quiet. “You tell her I’m alright?” 

Castiel nodded, closing the door after him. “I did, yes. She’ll be fine. How are your scars?”

Dean looked down at his bare chest and shrugged. “I don’t think they’re goin’ anywhere, if that’s what you mean.” 

Castiel closed his eyes briefly and frowned. “I’m sorry about that. I wish there was more I could do.”

He shook his head. “No, Cass, you saved my life. You wouldn’t believe how quickly someone can bleed out from that curse. I’m lucky you were there, I can’t really imagine Cato savin’ me and I doubt anyone else even knew the counter.” 

Castiel breathed out and then nodded. “Yes, you’re probably right. I wasn’t going to let you die, Dean. Especially not to Alecto Carrow.”

Dean chuckled. “Yeah, but I bet you’d have let it happen if it was this time last year.” He laid down, pulling the blanket over his legs. “C’mon, let’s just try to relax while we can.” 

Castiel shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t have. I’ve never hated you, Dean.” He frowned and looked down at himself. “I still need to shower, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” 

He walked into the bathroom and closed the door, turning the water to the shower on. He waited for it to heat up before stepping into it after ditching his pants, closing his eyes as the hot water dripped down his skin. He took a few moments just to stand there, letting the heat work out some of the tension in his shoulders. 

After showering he turned the water off and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his waist. He opened the bathroom door and walked out to the bedroom, opening the dresser that he had discovered held the pajamas.

“Don’t get dressed on my account.” 

Castiel heard him and smiled slightly, holding a pair of pajama pants. “You’ve got some on, it’s only fair.” He turned to him, tilting his head slightly.

“Yeah, yeah, just hurry it up. I think I’ve waited long enough.” Dean was looking at him with his bottom lip pulled between his teeth and his eyes slightly closed. 

Castiel looked between Dean and the bathroom, silently debating where he should change, before settling on the bathroom. He walked in and stepped out of view of Dean, not bothering to close the door as he dropped his towel and pulled the pants on.

“Aww, come on, angel! You’re really gonna hide from me  _ now?”  _ Dean’s voice was firm but quiet enough it wouldn’t travel much further than the bathroom. 

“Unless you want a repeat of last night,” Castiel stepped into Dean’s view now, walking towards the bed, “yes, I’m going to have to hide from you.”

Dean seemed to consider him for a moment. “What if we skipped the repeat  _ and  _ you quit hiding from me?” He smirked, sitting up on the bed.

Castiel clicked his tongue, moving to sit down on the bed beside him. “Well, the good part of last night would happen again and probably more.”

Dean nodded. “Mmmhm, I think you’re right. I don’t exactly have any objections here, Cass. I don’t know about you.” 

Castiel raised his eyebrow, but quickly moved so he was straddling Dean, kissing him once. “But last night you forced yourself to stop.”

“Last night, I forgot we were probably gonna be dead soon. I say, take what we can while we can and to hell with the rest of it.” He slid his hands up Cass’s back, bringing one to the back of his head and pulling him back into another kiss. 

Cass smiled into it, his hands on Dean’s sides as he relaxed, his eyes closing. He paused all of a sudden and pulled back, looking around for something.

Dean frowned at him. “What?” 

Castiel reached over off the side of the bed, nearly falling but grabbing onto Dean’s thigh to keep himself seated. He picked up his wand and pointed it at the door. “ _ Colloportus! _ ” 

Dean chuckled. “I thought you didn’t know the spell to lock doors?”

Castiel shrugged. “I uh- I may have taken it upon myself to learn it at the training centre this morning.”

Dean kissed him again, wrapping his arms tightly around Castiel. He pulled them down, keeping one arm braced across Cass’s back as he used the other to pull the blankets over their heads. He deepened the kiss and tugged on Cass’s bottom lip with his teeth, releasing it a moment later. “I hope you weren’t plannin’ on getting a lot of sleep tonight, angel. I’ve been waitin’ a long time for this.” 

Castiel shook his head, his stomach tightening. “I- I wasn’t.” He pressed his lips to Dean’s again, closing his eyes, relaxing against him.  _ Believe me, Dean, I’ve been waiting longer. _

 

**_Dean: Day Two_ **

 

“Quickly now, quickly, it’s going to leave without you.” Dean hadn’t waited for Flickerman’s warning, he simply grabbed hold of the PortKey and braced himself. When they landed, he scanned the room.  _ Same shit, different day.  _ He hadn’t gone near the guns yesterday because Cato had been using them, but today they were all alone and ready for him. He was silently thankful that his father taught him how to strip and reassemble a gun at an almost unholy age. By now, it was muscle memory. He could tell just by looking at most guns how they came apart, how they needed cleaned, and what kind of ammunition they required. His eyes scanned the surrounding tables and he rolled his eyes when he realized all they were offered were rubber bullets. He hoped that wouldn’t be the case in Purgatory; he knew they were going to need all the weapons they could get their hands on if they had any chance at survival. _ This is probably just a precautionary measure to ensure we don’t accidentally kill someone before we’re even in the Arena.  _

He eyed the colt M1911A1 with a grin… his father had gifted him one for his 10th birthday. He stripped it, and loaded it as he put it back together after making sure they hadn’t rigged it somehow. He picked it up and frowned at the weight, the lack of real bullets made it lighter than it was intended to be. He shrugged it off, happy to have something other than his cyprus wand in his hand for once. He raised it to shoulder level, his finger extended out instead of wrapped around the trigger. He pointed it briefly at Cato, and the urge to shoot filled him as rapidly as the realization that they’d made a  _ very  _ wise choice by giving him fake bullets instead of live rounds. 

He took a couple of shots at the targets placed around the room, and a couple of people turned to look. Dean ignored them, and started shooting at unconventional targets: he hit one of the empty vials on the Potions table and it shattered from impact alone, and then he shot the bowler hat right off of Caesar Flickerman’s head. 

Flickerman turned around, his face beat red from anger. Dean stifled a laugh, but caught sight of Castiel’s terrified expression from just beyond the irate wizard. He sombered, as Flickerman raised his wand and pointed it at Dean. “ _ Why you little..! _ ” 

Dean never got to find out what about him was little, because Seneca Crane of all people stepped between the two. “Caesar, you cannot kill the boy. Voldemort wants all twelve of them in the Arena, no exceptions. He’ll be dead in a fortnight anyway, just let it go.” 

Flickerman spit in Dean’s direction and then hautilly walked away. Dean set the gun down, an uneasiness spreading over him at the reminder that they were technically here training for their deaths. He shuddered, no longer feeling that sense of rebellious pride he’d briefly experienced when shooting Flickerman’s hat. 

He walked slowly through the rest of the training room, stopping once he approached the weight bench. He considered going easy on himself and hiding just how strong he really was, but ultimately decided that wouldn’t do him any good. The goal was to get sponsors, and he wouldn’t get so much as a band-aid sent with him if he didn’t prove he was worth something.  _ Fat chance of that happening, but you gotta try, at least for the sake of everyone else. Maybe they won’t notice.  _

Dean had no idea what most of the things in front of him were, but he sat down on a weight bench and wrapped his hands around the weight bar resting just above shoulder height. He clenched his jaw and flexed his biceps a few times before trying to lift it, and was nearly thrown out of the chair because there wasn’t actually any weight attached to it. His face flushed and he quickly got up, added some weight to both sides and reset his position. He was grateful that it didn’t seem like anyone had been watching that, and this time, he lifted the bar without nearly as much build-up. 

He lowered and lifted the weight bar several times, then decided to move on. The weight bench he was on had a leg function, so he tucked his feet behind the two bars at the bottom and lifted. He was pleased to find out that this one already had weights loaded onto it, and he gripped the seat around him as he extended and relaxed his legs. He was drawing the eyes of a few of the Death Eaters in the corner, so he stopped briefly to add more weight.  _ C’mon, these guys are absolute bastards and I know you don’t wanna do anything to make them happy, but put on a damn show. Go big, cuz you can never fucking go home.  _

It was more of a workout now, and Dean was wiping sweat from his forehead by the time he got off the bench altogether. He noticed some shots in the corner for shot put and seized an opportunity. He grabbed one and gauged the weight of it in his hand before winding up and throwing it. He planted his feet out of his turn and watched it land. He jogged after it, stopping next to it and looking back to where he started. A Death Eater approached him. “Roughly 15 meters. Not bad, although I never personally understood the enjoyment Muggles got out of this particular sport.” 

Dean shrugged, breathing heavy. “They can’t do magic. They gotta show off somehow, I guess.” 

The Death Eater raised his eyebrows. “Is that what you’re doing? Showing off? Brute strength won’t get you far in battle with wizards.” 

“Oh, buddy. You’d be surprised how much brute strength can come in handy, especially if somethin’ were to happen to that little wooden stick you carry around.” He jerked his head to Cato. “Tell me, what do you think your odds would be if that guy  _ expelliarmus’d  _ your ass and decided he wanted to use his fists instead?”

The Death Eater seemed to consider both Dean and Cato for a moment, and then shrugged. “I guess they wouldn’t be very good. But it wouldn’t matter, a blood traitor like Cato Chester could never pull something like that off on  _ me.”  _

“Yeah, I don’t get all this ‘blood traitor’ nonsense. He’s a pureblood, same as you. And he seems to be every bit as big of a dick as you lot are, so what gives?” Dean wasn’t really expecting an answer, so he was surprised when he got one.

“Cato Chester was dating a mudblood. He tried to keep it a secret, but his own father ratted him out to Lord Voldemort. It wasn’t an accident that Cato was Chosen. Abraxas Chester begged Voldemort to take Cato, to knock some sense into him and remind him of what happens to people with muggle sympathies.” The Death Eater appeared to become bored with their conversation and walked over to watch Jack Morningstar attempt, and fail, to camouflage himself with paint and leaves. 

Dean’s eyes found Cato.  _ Dating a muggleborn? His own dad ratted him out? Huh, who’d have thought I’d have somethin’ in common with that jackass, apparently neither one of us is allowed to be with who we wanna be with.  _ Cato caught him staring, so Dean flipped him off and moved onto the next station. 

He knew he needed more practice with Potions, but Cass looked busy in front of a tank containing a grindylow and Dean was useless at Potions without him. He walked instead to the armoire that was rattling in the corner of the room. He stopped in front of it, his eyes narrowed as he studied it. “What the --” 

It was Seneca Crane that approached him this time. “It’s a boggart. Have you heard of them?”

“Aren’t those like… creepy, formless things that take the shape of whatever somebody fears the most?” That earned a nod from Crane. “Okay, so what’s the purpose of it bein’ here? You guys wanna see how well we face our fears?” 

“Essentially, yes. Someone incapable of facing their greatest fears won’t last very long in the Arena, and that is not a trait one looks for when selecting someone to sponsor.” Crane eyed the shaking, groaning cabinet as he spoke, but Dean couldn’t take his eyes off of Crane’s beard. 

“Okay, dude, I gotta ask. Why the hell do you cut your beard like that?” 

Crane flashed him a look. “Because it bothers people like  _ you.”  _

Dean scrunched up his nose. “Kinda flattered you think about me when shavin’ your face, but I gotta disappoint you. I don’t date douchebags.” The words were out before Dean could think them through, and he braced himself for an attack that didn’t come. 

Seneca Crane simply sneered. “I might be a douche, but you’ll be a  _ dead  _ douche before the month is out. No one is going to sponsor a worthless, idiotic mudblood like you. You’ve got no hope at all of surviving what’s to come in the Arena, so lay your insults out now while you still can.” Crane seemed to enjoy the temporarily stunned look on Dean’s face as he turned around and made his way back towards the others. 

Dean took one more look at the cabinet, bracing himself to open it and deal with whatever came out at him. He was reaching for the handle when Flickerman’s voice rang out through the room. “That’s enough for today, gather your things.” He laughed, clapping his hands together once. “Who am I kidding, you no longer have possessions! Everything you are and everything you owned now belongs to Lord Voldemort. Now come on, your dinner is already on the table and if you don’t get back in the next 4 minutes, you’ll go hungry.” 

Dean took off at a run back to Flickerman and the PortKey, and sure enough, they barely had enough time to eat a handful of bites before the food was disappearing again. 

“So what now, then?” Sirius looked to Dean, as if Dean had a clue what he was doing. 

“Well, uhh… the jinxes didn’t go so hot last night,” he glared briefly at Alecto, “but I thought maybe we should run over some other spells.  _ Accio, Lumos Maxima, Impervius,  _ shit like that.” 

Jack Morningstar rolled his eyes. “What good is that supposed to do us?” 

Ash Harvelle spoke up from somewhere behind him. “Don’t learn it then, dumbass. Just don’t come crying to us when you get stuck in the dark by yourself.” 

Dean chuckled. “Alright, Ash. Let’s see what you’ve got. Try  _ Lumos.”  _

Ash proudly stepped forward and brandished his wand, saying the incantation. His want erupted in a burst of bright light that filled the room. 

Sirius nodded approvingly. “I wonder how bright we can make it?” He pulled his wand out and added to the light, Finnick and Newt both quickly following suit.

Dean shielded his eyes. “Alright, awesome, we know we can friggen blind someone if needed.  _ Nox  _ it, please.” All four of them did, and the light disappeared. “Good, now Rue, you want to try  _ Impervius?”  _

She looked at him hesitantly but nodded. “I can try, but everyone might want to step back, just in case. Charms isn’t really my strong suit.”

Dean chuckled. “It’s not an attack spell… here.” He walked over to the sink against the wall again and filled up a glass. He was half expecting the water to disappear the way the food did, and was pleased when it didn’t. “I’m gonna dump this on you. The spell, if you do it right, should cause the water to just kinda glide off of you without you actually gettin’ wet. You ready?” 

Rue nodded again slowly and held her wand out. “Yes.”

Dean put his tongue between his teeth as he tossed the water out of the glass and at Rue. 

Rue waited until the water was about to land on her and then said clearly “ _ Impervius!” _

Dean watched as the water did exactly what it was supposed to do. He smiled widely at her. “Hey! Look at you, who said Charms wasn’t your strong suit?” 

She smiled slightly as her face flushed, lowering her wand. “Well, that was an easy spell. That’s all.”

He shook his head and then jerked it towards Cass. “You know he was a sixth year by the time he could pronounce  _ Wingardium Leviosa  _ right?” 

Castiel sighed quietly, crossing his arms but nodding. “It’s true. I still say it incorrectly sometimes.”

Rue giggled and nodded. “That’s why you’re good at Potions, Castiel.”

He raised his eyebrow, but clicked his tongue. “You’re correct, yes. I am better at Potions than Charms.”

“And I’m better at Charms than Potions. We make a perfect pair.” Dean flashed a look in Sirius’s direction. “Say it and I’ll gut you right here.” 

Sirius threw up his hands defensively. “Just the fact that you were thinking it says it all, Winchester. I don’t need to say a damned thing.” 

Dean ignored him and continued. “Alright, anyone else wanna try either of those before we move on? No? Perfect, uhhh… Cato. Why don’t you make your lumbering ass useful and show us how  _ Accio  _ is done?” 

Cato nodded and looked at Dean. “I can do that.”

Dean frowned at the lack of retort to his insult, but gestured for him to step forward. 

Cato cleared his throat. “ _ Accio dickbag!”  _

_ There it is.  _ Dean rolled his eyes, but was highly annoyed by the involuntary tug he felt behind his navel. “Very funny, now you wanna do it right?” 

Cato shrugged. “It was worth a shot.  _ Accio broom!”  _ Nothing happened. 

Dean raised his eyebrows. “Wow, you really suck at this.” 

Cato grinned. “Just wait, Winchester. Hang on.” 

Still, nothing happened. 

“Okay, are we satisfied? Does someone that actually knows how to do the spell wanna give it a tr--” Dean’s words were cut off when a broomstick came crashing through the front window. “What the hell!” 

Cato beamed, obviously satisfied with himself. “It had to come clear from Hogwarts, it’s not surprising it didn’t show up immediately. I’m actually impressed with myself that it got here as fast as it did.” 

“ _ Reparo.”  _ Beetee fixed the broken glass and turned to Cato. “That’s some impressive spellwork. It takes a certain degree of concentration to summon anything that isn’t in eyesight, and you most certainly can’t see Hogwarts from here.” 

Dean made an audible gagging noise. “Yeah, okay, so Cato’s had some practice with the summoning charm, that’s good. Especially now that we have a broom, and we know these windows can break.” He gave Cato a look that hopefully said, ‘you thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’’? 

Cato stared at Dean for a long moment. “You want to escape? Now?” 

Dean shook his head quickly. “No, it’s too soon. But we  _ should  _ keep testing the boundaries of this place, and that was a helluva start. I hate to say it, but good work, man. I’m actually kinda glad you’re here.” 

It was Cato’s turn to try his hand at fake gagging, and Dean rolled his eyes heavily. “Don’t get used to the compliments, bud. I was just surprised you were capable of anything other than grunting and hittin’ shit, that’s all.” 

Finnick yawned loudly from the couch. “Can we be done, or are you not finished with your little Professor/student roleplay?” 

“It is gettin’ a little late, and I only do  _ that  _ roleplay with Cass.” He winked at Finnick, who groaned loudly. “Hey, you walked right into that one, man. Not really my fault.” Dean took a second to enjoy how nice it was to not have to hide anymore. He smiled at Cass and then turned back to the others. “Odair’s right, we should probably turn in. I’m gonna try to get up early tomorrow, maybe get some more practice in before we head back to the training center if any of you guys wanna join. Like I said, I can’t force any of you to do it, but we need every advantage we can get our hands on if we’re gonna make it through this together.” He fixed his eyes on Cato, who actually nodded in response.  _ Maybe he’ll actually be kinda helpful here.  _

Rue smiled hopefully. “Perhaps we can try out the pool tomorrow?”

Dean shifted his gaze to her. “Yeah, there’s all sorts of water-related spells we can try, and it might be nice to just unwind for a bit.” He smiled, walking over to mess up her hair. “Good thinkin’, kiddo.” 

This time, Rue caught his hand before he could achieve his goal, grinning. “Thanks.”

Dean nodded and sucked in a breath as he turned to the others. “Well go on then, get some sleep guys. See your ugly mugs bright and early.” 

One by one they trickled out, heading to their rooms. Dean turned to Cass. “Wanna hang out here for a bit before we turn in?” 

Castiel nodded and watched the other people disappear, before turning to Dean and nodding. “I don’t see why not.”

Dean magically lit the fire in the fireplace next to the couch and sat down, draping one of his arms over the back of the couch. “C’mere, then. I wanna talk to you about somethin’.” 

Castiel tilted his head but moved beside Dean, leaning into his side. “What’s up?”

“You okay? After last night, I mean. I know that neither one of us had really… _gone there_ before, and I uhh… I dunno. You good?” Dean shifted on the couch, suddenly nervous to hear the answer. 

Castiel turned so he was facing Dean, placing his hand on the side of Dean’s face. “I’m great, Dean. I - I’m happy.  _ Really _ happy. Are you alright?”

Dean let out a breath as he nodded. “Yeah, I mean, it’s kinda fucked up what with the whole ‘impending deathmatch thing’ and whatever, but yeah. I guess all things considered, I’m happy too. I wish it’d happened under different circumstances, but hey. If we manage to survive this… we’re gonna have one helluva story to tell.” 

Castiel nodded and moved again, leaning back into Dean’s side, his voice coming out in barely a whisper. “What about your dad?”

Dean watched the flames over Cass’s head and wrapped his arm across his torso. “What about him? Chances are, I’m never gonna see him again, so what’s it really matter at this point? Even if we do find a way to live through this, he’ll probably just be pissed at me for not dyin’ right either.” 

Castiel interlocked their fingers. “Thank you.”

He squinted at the top of Cass’s head. “For what?” 

“Everything, Dean. For being comfortable enough with yourself to let yourself be happy. For organizing all of us here, giving everyone hope.” He breathed out and squeezed Dean’s hand. “Just, thank you.”

A thousand arguments ran through Dean’s mind, but he didn’t voice any of them. He kissed the top of Cass’s head. “You’re welcome. I know that most, if not all, of the hope is false, but hey. There’s always a chance, right? If there’s a way for all of us to get  _ in,  _ there has to be a way for all of us to get  _ out. _ ” He paused, and was suddenly desperate to change the subject. “I found out something interesting about our resident meathead today.” 

Castiel cleared his throat and opened his eyes, squinting against the flames. “Which… uh… which one?”

“Cato. Turns out, he’s in love with a girl. And not just any girl… a girl with very, very Muggle parents. That’s why he’s here. His dad friggen sold him out to Voldemort.” 

Castiel’s eyes widened as he sat up from Dean, looking at him. “Seriously?”

Dean nodded, adjusting his position on the couch. “Yeah. Looks like I’m not the only one around here with daddy issues. I don’t think Cato’s really as big of a jerk as he wants us to think. That’s why I kinda lightened up on him today.” 

Castiel frowned. “Now I feel bad for being mean to him.” He laid his head down again.

“Don’t,” Dean chuckled. “He’s still a dick, but there’s a chance he’s a dick that might end up helpin’ us instead of hurtin’ us. We just gotta give him the right motivation.” 

Castiel nodded and looked to Dean. “Tomorrow, can you help me with Charms? I can help you with potions again.”

“Course, Cass. Whatever you need.” He squeezed him gently. “Now come on, let’s head to bed. I wanna try that  _ thing  _ again. 

Castiel grinned and stood, pulling Dean to the bedroom with him.


	7. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place

**_Castiel: Day Three_ **

 

“Cass.” Castiel moved slightly, keeping his eyes closed before he heard the voice again. “Cass, you gotta wake up.”

Castiel felt Dean kiss him gently, which in turn woke Castiel up even more, but he kept his eyes closed, trying to pretend he was asleep still.

Dean laughed quietly and slid his hand down Cass’s torso, biting his earlobe. He let go but kept his face there as he growled, “I know you’re awake, angel.” 

Castiel shivered involuntarily, keeping his eyes closed. He spoke sleepily, mumbling. “I’m not.”

“Mmhm. Maybe you just need better motivation.” Dean moved, grabbing both of Cass’s hands and pinning them to the bed, forcing him flat on his back in the process. He kissed a line down his chest. “You awake now?” 

Castiel let out a soft, sleepy moan, tilting his head to the side. “No, I don’t think so.”

Dean trailed a line of wet kisses down further and bit the waistband of his pajama pants, pulling it out and letting it snap against his waist. “How about  _ now?”  _

He gasped and bent one of his legs, squirming around. “I-” He nodded, biting his lip. “Mhm, yes.”

Dean dragged his lips back up Cass’s body and kissed him on the lips. “Good, now take a cold shower, Novak. It’s time to get back to work.” He pulled back, sliding off of the bed and was already fully dressed. 

Cass whined quietly and didn’t move for a long moment. He eventually kicked his legs up to help him sit up and slid out of bed. He grabbed his towel off the heap on the floor and grumpily made his way into the bathroom to shower. “Save me some breakfast!”

There was a brief rattling noise followed by, “what the -- oh, right…  _ alohamora!”  _ accompanied by a triumphant “hah!” and then everything was silent again. 

Castiel raised his eyebrow and took a  _ very _ cold shower, turning the water off when he was finished. He wrapped the towel around his waist and peeked his head out of the bathroom door. “Hello?”

The bedroom was empty, which meant Dean must have already gone out to the meeting room to wait for breakfast. 

Castiel frowned but left the bathroom, opening the dresser and rummaging through it for clothes. He grabbed some jeans and a t-shirt, dropping his towel and getting dressed quickly. He looked around for his wand and found it laying on the ground as it usually was. He sighed and picked it up, tucking it into his waistband before walking out to the meeting room.

“...a ton of shit that could be helpful, I just don’t know it all. Would it kill you to offer something useful?” Dean was talking to Jack, who didn’t appear to be paying attention at all. 

Castiel grumbled but walked over to Dean, looking to Jack. “What’s going on?”

“Oh,  _ Morningstar  _ here doesn’t seem to think our lessons have been helpful. I was tryin’ to suggest that if he had a better idea, I’d love to fuckin’ hear it but I’m pretty sure he’s off in his own little world right now.” Dean glanced towards the still-empty table and sighed. “They’re takin’ their sweet ass time with breakfast today, that’s for sure.” 

Castiel followed Dean’s glance and then snapped his fingers in front of Jack’s face. “Hello? Earth to Jack?”

Jack looked startled for a moment and then made eye contact with Cass, grinning slowly. “Oh, hello. When did you get here?” 

Dean rolled his eyes. “Oh for fuck’s sake.” 

Cass shook his head slightly, rolling his eyes. “Don’t worry about it, Jack. Go find something better to do.”

Jack nodded, still smiling as he turned around and wandered off in the opposite direction. Dean shook his head and muttered, “that kid’s attention span is gonna be the fuckin’ death of us all.” 

Castiel sighed and moved to the couch, sitting down just as breakfast appeared. He leaned back, knowing it was always a death zone as soon as the food appeared.

Luckily for him, Dean wasn’t afraid to fight for his food. He bumped shoulders with Sirius and Cato a few times before walking over to Cass with two plates full of food in his hands. “Here, eat it quick before it friggen vanishes.” He handed one plate to Cass and sat down with the other, eating quickly.

Castiel smiled slightly and took the plate, beginning to eat as well. “Thank you, Dean.”

Dean nodded but didn’t speak, probably entirely too aware of how precious these mealtimes had become because they don’t have any other opportunity for food. 

Castiel wasn’t really hungry, so when Dean’s plate was empty he handed him his plate as well, sipping his orange juice. “I think it’s almost time, eat fast.”

Dean frowned, picking up a piece of toast and putting it to Cass’s mouth. “You’ve barely eaten since we got here, and it’s not gonna be any better in Purgatory. You need to eat while you can. Please don’t fight me on this.” 

He took the toast and ate it to appease Dean, smiling. “I’m fine, Dean.”

“You know who says they’re fine? People that ain’t friggen fine.” 

“I’m just not much in the mood to eat, that’s all.” Castiel shrugged, leaning back on the couch again. 

“Yeah, I get that, but it’s not really an ‘in the mood’ thing, man. It’s a ‘how fast am I gonna starve to death in Purgatory’ kinda thing.” Dean reached forward to hand Cass another piece of toast right as it all disappeared. He huffed. “Fine, but you’re eatin’ dinner tonight or I’m gonna find someone else to bunk with.” 

Castiel grinned, clicking his tongue. “Oh yes, I’m sure Beetee needs a roommate. Or perhaps Cato?”

Dean flashed him an innocent smile. “I was thinkin’ more like Finnick, he’s prettier.” 

He rolled his eyes and nudged Dean, standing up. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

Dean laughed and stood up as well, looking to everyone. “Alright, we’ve only got a little bit before Dumb and Dumber come for us. Anything in particular you guys wanna work on before Day Three?” 

Everyone looked blankly at each other, Castiel turning to Rue. “We won’t have enough time to use the pool before they come for us, we’ll do it later, okay?”

Rue nodded and sat down. “Okay.”

Dean nodded to himself. “Alright then, I guess we’ll just wait here. They should be here any minute.” 

Sure enough, not five minutes passed before Caesar Flickerman and Seneca Crane landed in the middle of the room. “Chop chop, let’s not waste valuable training time.” Flickerman held out the two PortKeys and everyone scrambled to touch one. 

Castiel was used to landing now and didn’t stumble anymore, looking around the all too familiar room. He sighed quietly and looked at Dean. “Alright, well, I know absolutely nothing about muggle training or muggle weapons, perhaps we should start there.”

Dean led Cass over to the weapons table and picked up a longsword. He handed it to Cass and picked up one of his own. “We’ll learn together… apparently this might be a thing over there. I’ve got some experience with a machete, but not one of these bad boys.” He fell into what appeared to be the sloppiest attack stance Cass had ever seen, but Dean was raising the sword and grinning. “On guard!” 

Castiel chuckled, watching him. “What the hell are you doing?”

Dean frowned. “I’m gonna sword fight you. And not the way we did --” His eyes darted around the room and landed back on Cass, his cheeks flushing. “Just swing the damn thing at me. Pretend you’re a pirate or a knight or somethin’. Or maybe a Jedi, pretend its a lightsaber.” 

“Pretend it’s a  _ what _ saber?” Castiel raised his eyebrows.

Dean’s frown deepened. “A lightsaber, Cass, y’know…  _ whooosh.”  _ Dean was swinging the sword side to side at chest height as he continued making bizarre sound effects. 

Castiel stepped back, flinching slightly. “Did you manage to hide firewhiskey somewhere and not mention it to me?”

“Firewh-- I’m not  _ drunk,  _ Cass. I’m just…” He huffed, lowering the sword. “Fine, pick a damn weapon then.” 

Castiel picked up another sword and smiled at Dean. “No, let’s…  _ on guard _ or whatever you said.”

“That’s not the name of it, Cass, you’re literally telling someone to be on their guard cuz you’re about to swing a fuckin’ metal death stick at them.” He shook his head, but raised his sword again.

“Metal death stick?” Cass frowned. “I thought it was a sword.”

Dean groaned, tossing the sword back on the table. “Guns it is. Pick one.” 

Castiel frowned but set the sword down carefully, leaning over to pick up a medium sized gun. “This one.”

Dean eyed it and nodded, grabbing a similar one off the table. “Awesome, now just do what I do. Before you shoot one, you need to understand how it works.” Dean stood close to Cass and moved slowly, allowing him time to copy the movements as Dean stripped the gun down to its parts.

Castiel squinted, eyeing the different parts. “Okay, now what?”

“Now, we’re gonna see how well you were paying attention. Put it back together.” Dean set the skeleton of his gun down and crossed his arms, leaning backwards on the table. 

Castiel’s eyes widened as he looked to Dean, clearing his throat. “Right, put it back together. I can handle that.” 

Dean spoke as Castiel started putting it back together. “You can technically use one without understanding the finer points to it, but my dad always told me if I wanted to get a gun to do what I want, I had to get to know it first. He compared it to women, but I was like eight at the time so I didn’t really get it. Anyway, guns can jam and do all sorts of other shit to trip you up, so it’s best to understand how it actually works in case you gotta fix it in a pinch.” 

Castiel nodded in agreement. “That makes sense. Not the women part, but the fixing it part.”Rue came bounding over, holding a handful of plants. She looked at Dean, tilting her head. “Lift your shirt up.”

Dean frowned at her for a moment before looking to the plants she had in her hand. A grin slowly spread across his face. “No, you get that dittany away from me. If I’m gonna be dead soon, my skin’s gonna tell one helluva story. I think I’ll keep the scars.” He paused, then added, “but I gotta say, I’m really impressed with you for thinkin’ about that. Gettin’ rid of scars isn’t the use dittany’s most known for, you gotta really know your shit to know that.” 

She grinned almost proudly, nodding to Dean. “Alright, fine.” 

Castiel watched as Rue skipped off, back to the Herbology table. “She’s going to have to learn more than just plants, as helpful as plants are.”

Dean shook his head. “Nah, let her go. She’s got us for the rest of this shit, and havin’ someone on the team that  _ really  _ knows Herbology is gonna be really helpful. She’s gonna be the one that stops my dumb ass from eating poisonous berries or some shit.” 

Castiel laughed quietly and nodded. “Yes, that’s fair.” He looked over at Rue again, sighing quietly. “I didn’t know she was going to be Chosen, or I wouldn’t have volunteered for Charlie Bradbury and done it for Rue instead. She doesn’t deserve to be here.”

Dean glanced at him. “None of us do. Now come on, we’ve got more work to do. You got that gun back together yet?” 

Castiel looked down at the multiple pieces in his hands and cleared his throat, turning to Dean. “Uh, yes. It looks good, right? Usable?”

Dean blinked at it. “Cass… where you gonna put the bullets if the chamber isn’t put back together?” 

Castiel frowned but furrowed his eyebrows and pushed his tongue between his teeth as he set the gun down on the table and reassembled it, looking to Dean afterwards. “Better?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, but can you do it again? Strip it down and put it back together?” 

“I- perhaps?” Cass sort of fumbled with the gun until it was in pieces again, noticing a piece he  _ swore _ wasn’t there the first time, but managing to put it all together again. 

Dean had watched him closely and nodded approvingly now that he was done. “Awesome, now I’m gonna show you how to load it. We’ve only got rubber bullets, but it works the same in terms of gettin’ it ready to shoot.” He showed him how to load it and then handed it back to him. “Now unload it and reload it, then do it one more time.” 

Castiel shrugged slightly but unloaded it quite easily, before reloading it with the rubber bullets. “I saw you shoot this at Flickerman yesterday.”

Dean chewed on his lip. “Yeah, not my finest moment. I really shouldn’t have done that, it was just… he was there, and the dude ticks me off.” 

Castiel laughed a little bit. “Yes, me as well.” He showed Dean the gun once it was loaded properly, and once he got the nod of approval he repeated his actions.

“There, I’ve done it twice. Now what?”

“Now, if you think you’re confident enough in how it functions, you can shoot it. When you do, don’t pull the trigger.  _ Squeeze  _ it, with your whole hand.” Dean mimicked the motion in the air. “Slowly, okay? It’s not a race, and the more controlled your hand is, the more controlled the shot’s gonna be. Now show me how you’re gonna move your hand.” 

Castiel raised the gun but didn’t move his hand to the trigger, showing Dean his intended  _ squeezing _ motion.

“Good. Now, you wanna aim, breathe out, and  _ then  _ squeeze right as you’re at the end of the breath. You got that?” Dean took a step behind him. 

Castiel nodded. “What am I aiming at?”

“As long as it ain’t a person or Flickerman’s hat, I don’t care. There are targets that way if you want something normal.” He pointed over Cass’s shoulder to a line of targets. 

“That’s probably a good place to start.” He turned to the targets and raised the gun, aiming carefully. He kept his eyes focused on the target as he took a deep breath and then let it out slowly, then squeezed the trigger.

The rubber bullet smacked off the side of the target, narrowly missing the circle. Dean chuckled behind him. “Not bad at all for the first time you ever shot one. Then again, after the  _ other  _ first time performance, I’m not surprised. Try it again though, you pulled a little to the right.” 

Castiel looked down to hopefully hide how red he was, taking a moment to compose his flustered self. Once he had done that he repeated his actions, squeezing the trigger slowly, but was so focused on not pulling to the right he braced his feet incorrectly, jerking his body to the left. He watched the bullet and grimaced, looking back at Dean. “Don’t say anything, I know, I know.”

Dean stepped up behind him, sliding his hands down Cass’s arms until they were both holding the gun, Dean’s chin on Cass’s shoulder. He used his foot to maneuver Cass’s feet back into a proper position and then pressed his chest to Cass’s back. “You can do it, angel. Just focus. Pretend like the center of that target is the only thing stoppin’ you and me from spendin’ a whole day locked in that bedroom.” 

Castiel’s heartbeat sped up as he closed his eyes, now desperately trying to ignore Dean’s body against his. After opening his eyes he aimed again, adjusting his grip on the gun. He took a deep breath and then blew it out slowly, squeezing his entire hand around the trigger.

Dean nipped at his neck when the bullet smacked against the center of the target. He took a step back from Castiel and started clapping, drawing the attention of two Death Eaters as well as Finnick and Sirius. “He  _ can  _ be taught!”

Finnick rolled his eyes and Sirius came over to them. “Why are you playing with metal death wands?” 

It was Dean’s turn to laugh. “Cuz Cass didn’t wanna play with the metal death  _ sticks.”  _

Cass’s whole body felt like it was on fire and he quickly set the gun down, shivering. “Those were guns, not wands.”

Sirius looked at Cass like he’d never seen anything like him before. “I know what they were… they’re basically the muggle equivalent to a death wand -- y’know what… nevermind.” Sirius turned to Dean. “I don’t know how you deal with explaining your jokes to him all the time, you’re not that funny to begin with and when you gotta explain it…  _ yeesh _ .” 

Dean just shrugged. “I like him, he’s uhh… kind of adorably awkward. Half the time I swear to god he’s gotta be just fuckin’ with me, anyway.” 

Castiel didn’t know whether to be flattered or offended, so he just stood there with an awkward half smile. “Yes.”

Dean snorted and Sirius shook his head. “You two were made for each other. You’re two halves of a whole fucking idiot.” Sirius grinned, playfully punching Dean in the arm. “You planning on trying anything else today or are you going to keep playing with your  _ metal death wands?”  _

Castiel looked to Dean, but shrugged. “Dean won’t let me play with the metal death sticks so I suppose so.”

Sirius chuckled as Dean’s eyes widened. “Let you! Cass I tried like six friggen times! You kept goin’ all ‘I don’t understand that reference’ on me.” Dean looked at Sirius, reaching his hand out. “Hey, if I held up a sword and said ‘on guard,’ what are you gonna do?” 

Sirius didn’t miss a beat. “Pirates or Jedi’s?” 

“Hah!” Dean looked at Cass. “See, he gets it. Play with  _ him.”  _

Castiel squinted, looking between them both. “Sirius, are you sure it’s not  _ you two _ who are the two halves that create a whole idiot?”

Sirius grinned widely. “No, we’re two halves of a whole  _ moron,  _ there’s a distinct difference. Right, Dean?” 

Dean nodded vigorously. “Mmhm, he’s got a point. Sirius is definitely more moron than idiot, and I’m a healthy mix of both.” 

Castiel’s head was spinning as he looked between them again. “Right, okay.”

One of the Death Eaters that had been lurking in the corner approached them now. “Are you three quite finished? This is supposed to be a training room, not a place for gossip and screwing around.” 

Dean fake bowed. “Sorry, your majesty. All work, no play. Got it.” 

Sirius copied Dean’s bow to a T. “Highness, deepest apologies.” 

Castiel just watched them and then looked to the Death Eater, not saying anything. He just stared at him and tilted his head for a long moment, before he spoke. “What’s your name?”

The Death Eater glared at Castiel. “I don’t believe that’s any of your concern, but if you must know… my name is Severus Snape.” 

Still in their mock bows, both Sirius and Dean burst out into laughter. 

Castiel looked to them, eyebrows furrowed before looking back at Severus Snape. “I don’t understand what they find humorous.”

Snape looked down his nose at them. “I imagine almost everything in their tiny lives is humorous to them… their minds are too small to comprehend anything else.” He turned and walked away with an almost aggressive swish of his cloak.

Dean stood up straight and looked between Cass and Sirius. “Honestly, these guys couldn’t be easier to hate if they paid me in pie to do it. We all know we’re dead meat, so what if we wanna let off a little steam while we still can?”

Castiel nodded slightly in agreement. “I don’t know. Do you think those are what the winners become?”

Dean frowned at the prospect, and so did Sirius. “I’d rather not think about it, but yeah… probably.” 

Castiel shuddered at the thought and backed up. “Right.”

Sirius looked around. “I’m gonna go see if Luna will teach me that weird ass thing she’s doing with the rope, I’ll see you guys later.” He turned and jogged over to the trapping station, leaving Cass alone with Dean again. 

“Well, you’ve got a decent enough grip on guns. There’s honestly not much to learn when it comes to swords, the main thing I think would just be balance and the stamina to keep swingin’ the thing. Oh, and some kinda talent at guessing your opponent’s next move, but that kinda goes along with any kind of weapon.” Dean looked around, chewing on his lip. “You wanna try anything else?” 

Castiel looked around as well, nodding slightly. “First of all, that was  _ extremely  _ rude, what you did earlier. Second… I don’t think so. Is there anything you want to learn?”

Dean looked genuinely confused. “I was rude?” 

He turned to him, squinting. “Yes, you were rude. With the gun thing, when I hit the target. I can’t exactly take a cold shower here.”

“Yeah, but repeat that phrase back to yourself. You hit the target, which was the purpose of the whole damn exercise. It takes most people way longer to even get half as close, so technically… I did you a favour, and favours aren’t rude.” Dean crossed his arms and nodded matter-of-factly. 

Castiel shook his head. “Yes, but- but-” He sighed, shivering. “Nevermind.” Cass grinned and stepped towards him, kissing him quickly. “The shower thing this morning was rude too.”

“Ehh, what can I say. I’m a tease. I’m sure you’ll find ways to punish me later.” He smirked, then turned towards Caesar and Seneca. “Hey! We goin’ back anytime soon, I’m starving!” 

Castiel bit his lip because a rush of sorts shot to his core, but it was taken away very quickly when Seneca spoke. “Are you…  _ misfits _ done?”

Around the room, several sweaty, tired kids nodded. Dean watched them all and then looked back to Crane. “Yeah, we’re pretty done. You think you can stop the food from disappearing tonight though? Turns out I like a little bit of a midnight snack.” 

Crane sighed. “It is day three, isn’t it? Alright, fine. Tonight, and  _ only _ tonight will the food remain overnight. The lot of you, for the most part, have been  _ decent _ .”

Dean’s shoulders slumped so slightly Cass wouldn’t have noticed if he wasn’t standing right next to him, but Dean quickly straightened back up. “Alright then, yeah. Give us those PortKeys and we’ll be on our way.” 

“You know, Mr. Winchester, most people say  _ thank you _ when things are given to them.” Seneca held out a PortKey as Flickerman stood and did the same. “Hurry up, all of you.”

Dean grabbed the one in Flickerman’s hand and muttered, “I ain’t most people.”

Castiel swallowed hard and noted the tone of defiance in Dean’s voice but stayed quiet, grabbing ahold of the PortKey.

 

**_Dean: Day Four_ **

 

He groaned as he woke up and rolled onto his side. He opened his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the light coming in through the window as Cass was snoring quietly next to him.  _ Today’s the day, Winchester. If we’re gonna escape, we need to do it now. You can do this, it’s gonna be a helluva lot easier to get past some dementors than it’s gonna be to get twelve fuckin’ people out of Purgatory. Just get up, act like you know what the hell you’re doing, and get these people out of here before it’s too late. _

He slid out of bed, careful not to disturb Cass yet. He knew he needed the kind of help that Cass couldn’t give him, so he quickly got dressed and tiptoed out of the bedroom. He walked down the hall and around the corner to the second set of rooms and knocked quietly on the center door. He heard a grunt and some shuffling before the door finally swung open, revealing a half-asleep Cato. 

“The fuck do you want, Winchester? It’s like four in the morning.” Cato’s words were slurred from sleep but his tone was unmistakably pissed. 

“Listen, I don’t wanna be here anymore than you  _ want  _ me to be here, but I need your help. Now move, lemme in.” Dean didn’t wait for Cato’s mind to catch up with the command. He pushed past him and headed into his room, walking over the window and looking outside. He couldn’t see much in the dark, but he was able to make out a few rough, almost shimmering outlines. 

“You have thirty seconds to tell me why you’re in my room in the middle of the night, or I’m going to finish what Carrow started.” Cato shut the door, leaning back against it and crossing his arms. 

Dean narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. “You and me need to figure out how to jailbreak the rest of these kids outta here.” 

“ _ What? _ ” was the only response he received from Cato.

“Look man, neither one of us wanna die here. I know that, you know that, everyone friggen knows that. So drop the fuckin’ tough guy act and level with me here. Do you wanna get back to Sarah or not?” Dean was taking a shot in the dark, using the name of the only girl he’d ever seen Cato with. 

Cato looked livid, and with three quick steps he was pinning Dean to the wall with his forearm.  _ Bingo. _ “Watch your fuckin’ mouth, Winchester.”

Dean had been prepared for this - at least, as prepared as anyone ever is to get thrown up against a wall. “Like it or not, I know about you and her. I also know your pops sold you out to Lord Voldemort, and that it’s  _ bullshit.  _ I might not like you very much, but even I think you deserve to be with whoever the fuck you wanna be with. So I’m gonna ask you again.” Dean pushed a startled Cato back a step, freeing himself from the wall and creating some space between them. “Do you wanna get out of this death trap or not?” 

Cato looked almost constipated as he tried to process what Dean just said. “How did you -- nevermind, it doesn’t matter how you knew. Why the fuck would I trust you? You’re a mudblood and Gryffindor, you’re probably just trying to get me to do something stupid so you can knock out the competition.” 

That earned an eye roll from Dean, which was about the most polite response he could muster. “Yeah, okay. So my parents weren’t magical. So I’m not a Slytherin. Believe it or not, you and I have a lot in common.” At the incredulous look on Cato’s face, Dean added, “trust me, man. No one was more surprised than me. But let’s unpack this for a second. First of all, you’re in love with a friggen mudblood, so you don’t get to use that against me. Second of all, a fucking  _ hat  _ put me in Gryffindor, I didn’t choose it anymore than you chose Slytherin or any of us chose to be here. Fourth of all… wait, this is third.  _ Third  _ of all…” Dean paused for a moment, furrowing his brow. “Shit, I forgot what the third thing was. Oh hell with it, point is that you’re not the only one that disappointed your daddy when you didn’t turn out to be everything he hoped you would. My dad  _ hunts  _ people like me, and nearly beat me to death when he found out his strapping young man wasn’t strictly into chicks. I get it, man. Probably better than anybody else here, I  _ get  _ it. Now, I’m comin’ to you for help with this cuz you’re smarter than you look -- which isn’t really sayin’ a whole lot, but hey - the Slytherins won’t follow me, but they’ll follow  _ you,  _ and we need all twelve of us fully on board if we stand a friggen snowball’s chance in Hades of gettin’ outta here in one piece.” Dean paused again to take another deep, shuddering breath. 

“You done, Winchester? Or are you going to keep word vomiting until I tell you what you want to hear?” 

Dean shrugged. “Honestly, I’m prepared for either outcome, man. You tell me. All I know is that I care about these kids, all of ‘em. Hell, even you, you giant douche.”

“Yeah, I’m not buying it. I’m not falling into whatever trap you’re trying to set for me, because you’re right - I  _ am  _ smarter than I look.” Cato seemed to realize too late that he’d inadvertently insulted himself, which just seemed to piss him off more. 

Dean knew he had to be brutally honest if he had any hope of getting Cato on his side. Everything he’d said was true so far; he had no intention of double-crossing Cato and he wanted everyone to get out. But Cato was too much like Dean himself, so Dean switched tactics. “Look, okay. I know you and I got off on the wrong foot and just stayed that way, but things are different now. You ever hear of mutually assured destruction?” 

Cato nodded, looking confused more than angry for the first time this entire conversation. Dean took that as a good sign and pressed on. “You said you think I’m trying to weed out the competition, make it easier for myself to win. Have you not been paying attention? There’s only room for one on the train outta Purgatory, and in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve got more than one person here. Sirius has been my best friend since I first set foot in King’s Cross. Newt and Finnick too, I’d die myself before I let anything happen to either one of them. And little Rue? You honestly think I’m  _ that  _ fucked up of a person that I’d sacrifice her to save my own skin?” 

Cato didn’t respond, he just raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms as if he was waiting for Dean to say something he hadn’t yet. 

Dean rolled his eyes. “And yeah, I’m in love with Cass. Okay? Congratulations, you’re officially the first one I told. Maybe now we should braid each other’s hair and watch the fucking Princess Bride.” Dean watched Cato’s arms unfold and his stance relax, and heat flared in Dean’s cheeks when he realized he’d really,  _ truly  _ told the closest thing he had to an enemy here what his biggest weakness was.  _ It wasn’t a fucking secret, anyone with half a fucking brain can see it. You’ve almost got him, don’t quit.  _ “Let me bottom line this for you. There are 5 people here other than myself that I can’t lose. That’s six altogether. Six people, and a one-person portal. We’ll never make it out of Purgatory. Which means we can’t ever  _ go  _ to Purgatory. You get me? Luckily for you, I like the sound of my own voice, so I’m gonna repeat myself one more goddamn time. I’ll even say it nice and slow so your little brain can keep up. Will. You. Help. Me. Get everybody the fuck outta here?” 

Cato shrugged. “Sure, why not? What’s the worst they can do, kill us? We’re all dead either way.” 

Dean gaped. “You were gonna agree the whole fucking time.” 

“Mmhm.” Cato nodded once, a look of self-satisfaction on his face. “Next time, maybe you’ll wait till the sun’s up before barging into my room and making demands. I’ll talk to the Slytherins and the Ravenclaws, you take the other two Houses.” 

Dean grinned despite himself. In his inexperienced mind, getting Cato to agree had seemed like the hardest part of his plan.  _ It’s smooth sailin’ from here on out. We’re goin’ home.  _

Dean briefly filled Cato in on the plan, and he nodded his approval. 

“Not bad, Winchester. Let’s fuck shit up.” 

 

\-----------------------

 

Dean woke Sirius and Finnick up next, bringing them into his and Cass’s room to fill them in. He made them wait outside while he went in.

“Cass?” Dean approached the bed, eagerness in his voice. “Cass, you up?”  

Castiel rolled over to face Dean and blinked his eyes open, squinting. “What time is it?”

“It’s early, angel, but I need you to get up and get dressed.” Dean’s voice was urgent but excited, and he went to the dresser and grabbed some clothes for Cass. He tossed them on the bed. “C’mon, Finn and Sirius are outside.” 

Castiel stretched and sat up, yawning as he spoke. “What’s the rush?”

“The rush is that we’re gettin’ the fuck outta here, but we gotta do it before breakfast. Now come on, man, put some damn pants on or I’m just gonna let them in anyway.” 

Castiel’s eyes widened as he grabbed the pants. Throwing the blanket off of him he pulled the pants on quickly. “What the hell do you mean?”

Dean was already at the door, flinging it open again. “Sirius, Finn, hurry up. We don’t have a lot of time.” 

A very confused looking Finnick walked in, nodding to the still half-naked Castiel. “Good uhh… good morning.” 

Sirius, on the other hand, looked just as excited as Dean. His eyes were dancing as he closed the door behind them and looked to Dean. “What’s the plan, mon capitan?” 

Dean looked at Cass. “You good? You awake enough for this? I’ve only got time to explain it once.” 

Castiel pulled the blankets around himself but nodded. “I’m awake. What’s going on?”

Dean let out a breath to try to slow himself down.  _ Here goes nothin’.  _ “Okay, so do you guys remember how Cato summoned that broom clear from fuckin’ Hogwarts and it smashed through the window in the meeting room?” 

Sirius nodded quickly, looking almost like a puppy that was about to get a treat.

Finnick crossed his arms and leaned against the door, watching Dean. “Yeah, what’s your point?”

Dean licked his lip. “My point, my narrow-minded friend, is that when he did that, not only did he  _ break a window to the outside,  _ but he also  _ summoned a fucking broom.  _ A broom that  _ flies. _ The answer has been starin’ us in the face since day fucking one. We summon brooms, and we fly outta here out through the broken windows. Sayonara, dickbags, not today.” Dean nodded once, as if this was the simplest plan in the history of plans. 

Castiel blinked, tilting his head. “Death Eater’s are  _ surrounding  _ this place, Dean. They’ll kill us all as soon as they catch sight of us.”

Dean shook his head quickly. “No, Cass, they won’t. Think about all the shit we’ve said and done since we got here. All the reasons  _ I’ve  _ given them to just kill me. They won’t do it, they need all of us in the Games or their whole thing goes kaput. Yeah, it might not be the most airtight master plan, but do you have a better one? And even if they do kill some of us, eleven of us are marked for death anyway and the twelfth is gonna become Voldemort’s fucking lap dog. As for me… I’ll take my chances tryin’ to get outta this house versus tryin’ to get outta Purgatory.” 

Finnick clicked his tongue but pushed himself up from his leaning position. “Winchester’s got a point, guys. They kill us now, they won’t have their necessities for the games this year. They can’t really do anything to us.”

Sirius spoke up. “You think anyone’s ever tried to escape before?” 

Dean shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Oh, and did I neglect to mention the best part? I got fuckin’  _ Cato  _ on our side.” 

“I’m failing to see how that’s the ‘best part’, Dean. The guy’s an asshole.” Sirius rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, but he’s an asshole the other Slytherins listen to. At the very least, we just added three extra distractions to this escape attempt in the event the Death Eaters do come after us.” 

Finnick raised his eyebrows. “You really think we can trust him?”

Dean nodded, making sure he showed no signs of reluctance. “Yeah, it’s kind of a long story, but I do. I trust him, at least in this. He wants to get home every bit as much as we do.” 

Castiel took a deep breath and then let it out slowly, nodding once. “Alright, Dean. I trust you. I’m on board with this plan.”

Dean would be lying if he said he wasn’t relieved. “Alright, good. Cato’s talking to the Ravenclaws and the Slytherins, but someone’s gonna need to tell Newt and Rue. Cass, can you handle that? I’m gonna take Sirius and Finnick and see if we can sneak up to the roof, get a better look at what’s around us and how many we’re dealing with. Brooms up in thirty, yeah?” 

Castiel chewed his lip but nodded, throwing the blankets off of him. “Yes, I can manage that. What if they don’t agree?”

“If Rue doesn’t agree, let me know. I swear to god I’ll find the most humane way to knock a person out and throw her on my broom with me. I’m not leavin’ here without her. As for Newt… just tell him Groot misses him. He won’t fight you.” Dean looked to Finnick and Sirius, then grabbed his wand off the table by the bed he and Cass shared.

Cass nodded, standing up. “Alright, then. Brooms up in thirty.” He left the bedroom, disappearing down the hallway quickly.

 

\----------------------

 

A few minutes later, Dean, Sirius and Finnick were making their way up to the roof of the house. They had ascended the ladder to the attic and were discussing the best way to get to the actual roof from the inside - the small, circular window or the trap door that would undoubtedly make a lot of noise when it dropped open. 

“Alright, Sirius, come with me.” Dean positioned himself with his back to Finnick, hoping he picked the spot where he’d be able to catch the door as it fell open instead of letting it swing wildly. Sirius moved next to him and copied his stance. “Okay, now magic the damn thing open.” 

“ _ Alohamora!”  _ The trap door swung open, smacking against Dean and Sirius’s backs. “For the love of --” Sirius grunted. “Why the hell does a roof hatch need to be so fucking --  _ big!”  _ He moved out from behind it once it settled, and Dean shrugged. 

“Probably so they’d hear if someone tried to open it. Now come on, we gotta hurry before the sun starts comin’ up or they’ll see us up there. Finn, gimme a boost, would ya? I don’t see a ladder anywhere.” Dean stood in front of Finnick, expecting him to bend down and physically lift Dean, but instead he pointed his wand and Dean and whispered, “ _ Wingardium Leviosa!”  _

Dean’s limbs flailed wildly for a second and he fought back the nervous ‘aaah’s’ that were bubbling inside of him. He hissed, “damnit, Odair, I don’t think this spell is meant for hu-” 

Dean shut himself up as his head lifted out of the hole in the roof, and he grabbed onto the shingles. He heaved himself up as quietly as he could and then rolled, crouching down and scanning the rooftop. He silently breathed out, relieved that there weren’t dementors or Death Eaters up there. He peeked back in the hole to see Sirius and Finnick looking up with worried faces. “We’re clear, guys. C’mon.” 

Dean spun, nearly crawling towards the edge of the roof as he heard two muffled thumps signalling that his friends had joined him. He let his eyes adjust to the dark for a few moments and then started searching for possible obstacles. 

Sirius appeared beside him, his face clearly flushed even in the dim light of the moon. He whispered, “see anything?” 

Dean held a finger to his lips and then pointed it almost directly below him. There, stationed outside the front door, were two dementors. “Explains the chill in the air and the generally shitty morale around here,” he muttered. 

A quick sweep of the roof alerted them to the heavy presence of dementors, but no Death Eaters could be seen. Dean signaled for everyone to head back down into the house, and one by one they dropped through the trap door and landed with soft thuds on the attic floor. It took some effort, but they managed to close and lock the roof hatch once more. 

Sirius let out a breath. “You count six?” 

“Seven,” Finnick corrected. “One was a little farther out, but he was there.” 

Dean nodded. “Yep, I clocked seven too. This is good, even if every single one of those fuckers manages to get their lifeless fuckin’ paws on us, five of us are still home free.” 

With that said, Dean did something he thought he’d never do. He said goodbye. “Look, uhh… guys? You know as well as I do that we’re not all makin’ it out of here today. I doubt they’ll kill any of us, but they can sure as hell catch us. I just wanted you guys to know that I hope you get out, and uhh… it was really…” Dean scratched the back of his head, searching for the words. 

“Yeah, Winchester. We know. Don’t go getting all sappy on us now, this was your idiotic plan in the first place. It’s  _ such  _ a stupid plan that I think it actually might work.” 

_ So much for goodbye. _ Dean took Sirius’s words for what they were, and nodded to both of them. “Alright then, let’s go get the others and get the hell outta Dodge.” 

 

\-------------------------

 

Back in the meeting room, Dean eyed the large windows to the right of the table. He fidgeted nervously, but tried to convince himself this was just another Quidditch match, and instead of Dementors, he was just dodging bludgers. He focused hard on his happiest memories as the others started filling the room. 

Cato ushered in the other Slytherins and the three Ravenclaws, and to Dean’s surprise, they all looked somewhere between nervous and excited. 

Cass had succeeded in convincing Newt and Rue to join, and with the three Gryffindors already in position, there was no more need to stall. The sun was going to come up any minute, and they needed to move.

“Okay, you all remember how to conjure a Patronus, right? There are seven dementors on the grounds out there, so you’re probably gonna have to cast and fly. Everyone okay with that?” He heard a few murmurs but it seemed like they were all affirmative. “Awesome. Now, I’m not gonna give you guys some huge ra-ra speech… you all know what you’re fighting for. The second you’ve got your brooms in your hands, fly and don’t fucking look back. Not for a second, not for  _ anything.  _ I don’t care where you fly to - go home, go to a friend’s, go to friggen Mars for all I care. Just get the hell out and  _ don’t look back.”  _ He took one more moment to look over the faces of his friends and fellow tributes, and then pulled Cass into a kiss. He held there until Finnick cleared his throat, then he pulled back and looked at Cass. “I’m not kiddin’, angel. You fly and you keep goin’ till this place is just a bad fuckin’ dream, whether or not I make it out. Tell Sammy I love him.” 

Cass nodded. “You’re going to make it out too.” 

Dean knew he didn’t have time to argue, so he turned to face the rest. “On my count. Three… two… one.” 

All twelve tributes raised their wands and screamed “ _ Accio Broom!”  _ in unison. Dean felt the seconds tick by like a hammer in his chest, and he had his wand gripped tight in his hand in case the dementors heard them and attacked early. 

No such attack came, but Dean still nearly jumped out of his skin when the first of the windows broke. Cato’s broom flew into his hand and he mounted quickly. He glanced at Dean. “See you on the other side.” He took off as two more brooms found their way to Beetee and Finnick. Both of them were gone within seconds. 

One by one, the tributes took flight and disappeared. Dean was holding onto his broom tightly, determined to be the last to leave. He waited and waited, but Rue’s broom never came. She was openly crying, choking out something along the lines of ‘told you Charms wasn’t my strong suit’ between sobs. Dean looked wildly at Cass. 

“Go! I’ll take her, just go! Now!” Dean shifted back on his broom and heaved the crying girl onto it in front of him. Cass waited until they were situated and then took off out the window, Dean and Rue right behind him. 

The sky erupted with flashes of red and green lights, and he heard someone screaming. Everything was a blur, and he tried desperately to hold Rue steady on the broom in front of him as he pulled out his wand again. He searched for the source of the spellcasting but couldn’t make anything out in the darkness, especially now that he was feeling the familiar despair brought on by dementors. 

“Rue!” He screamed over the noise of the wind. “Patronus, now!” Dean tried to hurl his own over his shoulder, but nothing but a faint swirl of silver mist came out. He tried again and again, never producing more than a thin shroud of vapor. The longer it went on, the less hope Dean had.  _ You killed everyone. You did this. This was your plan, and it’s failing. Every single one of these people is dead, and it’s not Voldemort’s fault - it’s yours.  _

Rue pulled herself together enough that she was able to send her silver Mockingjay flying down to the dementors below him. He turned to watch, trying to use the sight of it to summon his own. 

Cass pulled his broom back so he was level with Dean and Rue, and he shoved Dean to get his attention. Dean looked quickly at him, no longer paying attention to where they were flying. “Together!” Cass yelled, and Dean took the hint. 

“ _ Expecto Patronum!”  _ They had yelled in unison, their wands nearly touching in the air as their brooms bumped together from lack of control. Cass’s strange angelic Patronus and Dean’s phoenix exploded from their wands and charged the dementors below, blocking out some of the terror and sadness that had been threatening to overtake Dean. 

He heard another scream and turned his head forward quickly. This one, unlike the first, sounded decidedly male. “Sirius?! Finnick!” He scanned the sky, rising higher and farther away from the dementors. He could see two brooms far ahead of the rest of them, but then spotted the source of the screaming. 

Beetee was trying to duel mid-air with Severus Snape. Dean let go of his broom in a moment of horror as Beetee was hit in the chest by a spell, and tumbled off his broom to the ground below. 

“ _ Arresto Momentum!”  _ Cass was screaming, pointing his wand at Beetee’s falling form. It seemed to work, but they were high enough that the impact would have been muffled either way. 

Dean heard even more terrified shrieking and whipped his head around to find the source. He was startled to find that it was coming from right in front of him: Rue was sliding off the broom, her legs flailing to the side as her hand came up, smacking Dean in the chest and gripping his shirt. He grabbed ahold of her, sacrificing his own precarious grip on the broomstick to right her again. 

All around him were screams, terror, and darkness illuminated only by the fireworks of curses. Dean couldn’t see, he couldn’t think, he couldn’t focus on anything but trying not to crash the broom he had officially lost control of. Cass’s hand shot out in an attempt to steady them, but the act slowed their momentum enough that they were quickly surrounded by hooded figures on brooms that looked much faster than Dean’s Cleansweep Seven. 

He and Cass got the same idea at the same time. 

“ _ Stupify”  _

_ “Engorgio!”  _

_ “Impedimenta!”  _

_ “Protego… Lacarnum Inflamarae!”  _

Over and over, they hurled curses and jinxes at the Death Eaters. They succeeded in knocking a few of them back, but more took their place. 

Dean’s heart nearly stopped when he heard,  _ “Imperio!”  _ until he realized it was Cass that cast the Unforgivable Curse. The Death Eater he’d been aiming at turned his broom abruptly, colliding with two others. All three fell off their brooms and tumbled towards the ground. 

Emboldened, Dean pointed his wand over Rue’s shoulder, ignoring the way she was folded almost in half in front of him and yelled “ _ Sectumsempra!”  _ The curse hit home, and one of the remaining Death Eaters abruptly let go of his broom as blood poured from his lower abdomen where the spell had landed. He was still surrounded by screaming, but it was now impossible to tell what was coming from tributes and what was coming from Death Eaters.

He risked a glance at Cass, and was rewarded by a curse that hit him right between the eyes. It knocked him back as his vision went white, and the next thing he knew, he was falling. 

 

\-----------------------

 

Dean woke up in a bed. His eyes were open, but the world was too blurry to make anything out. He was acutely aware of pain blossoming over his entire body in stark contrast to the soft mattress below him.  _ Did I -- did we actually make it?  _ He sat up, blinking rapidly and rubbing his eyes to try and get his vision to clear. Each movement sparked shooting pain through him, but he persisted. “Sammy? Cass? ….Sirius?” 

A few more urgent blinks brought the world around him into clarity. It was the same room he’d been waking up in for days. He nearly sobbed, dropping back on the bed and curling in on himself.  _ No, no, no…  _

The bedroom door opened as Castiel limped in slowly, watching Dean. He stayed quiet and made his way to the bed, climbing onto it. He leaned back against the headboard and pulled Dean to him, holding him tight. “I’ve got you, Dean. You’re alright.”

Dean’s chest heaved. “No, no, no,  _ no…  _ Cass, you were supposed to get away. Why the hell didn’t you fly away?” 

Castiel pressed his lips to Dean’s head, not loosening his grip. “We were surrounded, Dean. You fell and one of them grabbed me and…” He shook his head. “We didn’t stand a chance.”

Dean buried his face in the pillow next to Cass’s chest, exhaustion and devastation combining into something horrible inside of him. “Rue? Sirius? Finn? Newt? Did  _ anyone  _ make it out?” 

Castiel rubbed Dean’s back gently, chewing his lip before he spoke. “Yes, four of us did. Luna, Jack, Ash and… and Sirius.”

A sob wracked through Dean, and he honestly didn’t know in that moment if it was pain for the rest of them, or relief for Sirius.  _ Four, Dean. Four people made it out. Four people are gonna live. Sirius is one of them. Your best friend is gonna live.  _ Dean nodded, his forehead bumping against Cass’s side. “Are you okay?” 

Castiel shrugged slightly, before nodding once. “Yes. Bumps and bruises, but I’ll be alright.” He shuffled down on the bed so he was laying down beside Dean, turning his head to look at him. “Are you?”

Dean considered that for a moment. No, for the most part, he was decidedly not okay. He hurt in more ways than just the physical, and he failed. He didn’t save nearly as many people as he’d hoped, and Cass was still stuck here with him. He knew if he lifted his head and looked at Cass, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from losing it, so he kept his face buried. “I’ll tell you one thing… I’m never riding a fucking Cleansweep Seven again.” 

Castiel cracked a small smile, his eyes closing. “I don’t blame you. I’m unsure if I’ll ever ride  _ any _ broom again.”

“We shoulda done  _ accio firebolt  _ and just robbed Quality Quidditch Supplies. Maybe then we coulda outraced those dickbags.” Dean rubbed his nose against the mattress and then forced himself to sit up, wincing slightly. “How pissed is Cato?” 

Castiel breathed out, turning to scan Dean’s face. “He hasn’t come up from the training room. He’s still down there by himself and we’ve all tried to talk to him. It’s as if he can’t even hear us.”

“That’s because he doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want to hear  _ or  _ see us. I dangled freedom in front of his face and he had to sit back and watch four other people get it while he was forced back here.” Dean rubbed his jaw. “I can try, but I have a feeling he’s gonna wanna talk with his fists more than his mouth.” 

“But Dean, don’t you understand?  _ Four  _ people escaped. Four people are going to live free and not have to deal with this thanks to you. You  _ saved _ them.” 

“Yeah, okay, but what about the other eight? There’s still eight of us stuck here and I can’t do a damn thing about it. None of us can. They’re not gonna let us get away with somethin’ like that again.” Dean pushed himself off the bed, trying to assess what, if anything, was broken in the fall. 

Castiel watched him, his eyes scanning the room as he tilted his head. “Do you hear that?”

Dean looked towards the door. “Sounds a lot like pourin’ salt in a wound.” 

Castiel slid out of the bed quickly and pushed the bedroom door open. Dean followed as he disappeared down the hall.

He noticed Cass’s limp as he walked, and felt an overwhelming sense of guilt that this endeavor caused as much pain as it did. He filed in behind everyone else to see Seneca Crane and Caesar Flickerman standing in the middle of the meeting room, looking as angry as Dean had ever seen them. He pushed his way to the front, prepared to take the blame. 

Castiel came and stood beside Dean. He pulled Rue behind them, leveling a glare at Crane and Flickerman.

“I bet you all think you’re real funny, huh?” Flickerman started, his words coming out surprisingly calm. “You all thought your little escape plan was going to work, didn’t you?” He shifted his eyes to Dean, making direct eye contact. “Did it work, Dean? Did your attempt to escape and fool all the Death Eaters work?”

Dean couldn’t suppress the spark of defiance that rose in him. “For four of us it did. You’re a little short on tributes now, you son of a bitch. And that sounds like victory to me.” 

Seneca grinned. “You realize who escaped, though, right? The ones who mattered the least. Jack, Luna - pfft, they never stood a chance. As long as we have you, and Castiel, Rue and Finnick, and hell, Cato too, our games can still go on. We lost Mr. Black, that’s a shame, but at least  _ you _ lost someone that mattered to you.”

Crane’s words had the opposite effect on Dean. Crane was right, Luna and Jack never stood a chance, but now they were going to  _ live.  _ They were  _ free.  _ For the first time since waking up, Dean felt hopeful. “I didn’t lose him, dumbass. He’s free. He gets to go back to his life, he doesn’t have to die for your stupid fucking Games or your stupid fucking  _ Lord.”  _

“And you’re certain our Death Eaters didn’t just kill him, correct? Did anyone see the four tributes escape?” The room was silent, as Crane continued. “I didn’t think so. You see, when a stunt like that is pulled, sometimes lives need to be sacrificed and well-” he clicked his tongue, a small smirk playing in his lips.

Dean grinned almost wickedly. “You should learn to choose your words more carefully, dude. You already admitted they  _ escaped.  _ Not ‘were killed’ or ‘died’... you said  _ escaped.  _ And now you’re tryin’ to save face cuz you morons got outsmarted by a bunch of teenagers you thought were less than you.” 

Caesar Flickerman growled, narrowing his eyes at Dean. “They aren’t dead yet, sure, but they will be. We’ll tear out all of Hogwarts to find the four of them. We can all hope your brother Sam doesn’t get in the way. Would be a shame if you volunteered just for him to die anyway, wouldn’t it?”

Dean’s stomach dropped, and any air of confidence or defiance he had vanished. “You’d be wasting your time at Hogwarts, they’d never be dumb enough to go back there. You leave my brother  _ alone.”  _ The last word came out as a snarl, and Dean reached for his wand. 

“Or else what, Dean?” Flickerman watched Dean’s hand, tilting his head. “What are you and your merry band of misfits going to do now?”

Dean weighed his options quickly. Curse Flickerman, and Sammy would be  _ sure  _ to pay the price for it, or stand down and risk any level of respectability and leadership he’d managed to get with the other tributes. It was an easy choice. He let his hands drop to his sides, but his eyes didn’t lose their fire. “One day… one day I’m gonna make you pay for every single kid you’ve hurt. Mark my words.” 

“Threaten me some more, Dean. You’re really improving your chances of keeping your brother alive,” Flickerman grinned, shifting his eyes from Dean to everyone else. 

“As for the rest of you, well, this can’t go unpunished. One meal a day from now on and you better eat fast, as you now only are allowed five minutes to eat.” 

Seneca nodded in agreement. “More than that, though, we all hope you’ve trained enough for the games and for your sponsorships, because you won’t be leaving this house  _ again _ .”

That news was met with absolute silence. Dean’s anger flared but he bit it down, reminding himself over and over again that they were threatening his brother now. When no one spoke against the new rules, Flickerman continued. 

“We’re increasing the number of Death Eaters and Dementors that surround this place, and your meal will be at noon everyday.” 

Crane grinned. “I hope your escape attempt was worth it. Now, we must be going, we have four…  _ untrainable bastards  _ to be caught.”

Castiel swallowed hard and watched as the two men disappeared, his eyes closing. “I hate them more than I hate the fact that we’re getting thrown in Purgatory.”

Dean nodded. “I know, Cass.” Dean stepped forward, turning slowly to face everyone else. He was acutely aware that his face must be quite bruised, and he noticed for the first time that one of his eyes was partially swollen. “Look, I’m… this wasn’t my intention. I know we got dealt a blow with the food and the training, and it’s on me. This was my idea, so don’t go around blamin’ Cass or Cato for it. Blame me, cuz I’m the dumbass that actually thought this was a good plan. I’m sorry for gettin’ all of your hopes up.” Dean chewed on his lip, his gaze dropping to the floor. 

Rue stepped forward and shook her head. “You saved me, Dean. If I had fallen, I’d surely be killed.”

Finnick stepped up after her and nudged Dean. “Hey, chin up, Winchester. So what we’re stuck here now? Four of them escaped and they’re smart.” He paused. “No, wait,  _ Sirius _ is the only one outta them all with half a brain, but he’s gonna figure something out, alright? I bet you the tributes from the other years  _ never  _ gave Flickerman and Crane a run for their money like this. Crane was panicking, he knows they’re screwed. Stop being so hard on yourself, man.”

Dean knew Finnick was trying to cheer him up, but all Dean could think about was whether or not he’d just sacrificed his brother to save Sirius and three people he barely knew. “Yeah, whatever. I guess dinner’s off the table tonight, so I’m gonna head to bed. I’ll uhh… see you all for the first day of house arrest tomorrow.” 

Castiel frowned and stepped towards Dean, watching him. “Dean… you don’t have to blame yourself. We all agreed, we all wanted to try it and we all knew the consequences. It didn’t go in our favour, so what? We’re still going to be tossed into Purgatory, but now we have even more of a reason to not kill each other. Flickerman and Crane don’t get to push us around anymore. I don’t know about you, or anyone else, but I’m done being bullied by them. I’m done with constantly falling to my knees for them. They want their games, but they’re not going to get them. We’ll figure this out, okay? We always do.”

“Yeah. Tell that to my mom when she’s gotta bury two kids instead of one now.” Dean kept his eyes to the floor as he pushed his way through the remaining tributes and headed to the bedroom alone. 


	8. A Little Less Conversation

**_Castiel: Day Five_ **

 

Castiel’s heart and stomach sank as he heard what Dean said, his body tensing slightly. He looked to Finnick who just shook his head. Castiel cleared his throat and looked to the people. “Alright, everyone get some sleep. We’ll meet here bright and early for-” he paused, tilting his head. “Actually, sleep as long as you want tomorrow. We’ve got nowhere to be.”

He watched as everyone else except for Finnick left for their rooms, letting out a deep breath. “Are you alright, Finn?”

Finnick studied Cass. “I’m not injured, if that’s what you’re asking.” 

Castiel sighed quietly. “What the hell are we going to do?”

“That’s a good question. Dean was the one that started all of this… reminded us that we didn’t have to fight each other just because they said we did. Obviously escaping isn’t going to be an option now, and Dean seems to be down for the count.” Finnick shrugged, sitting down on one of the chairs next to the fireplace.

Castiel frowned but nodded. “I suppose you’re right. I can talk to Dean but… I don’t know if it will do any good.”

Finnick shook his head. “It won’t. I’ve known him a lot longer than you have. The bond that kid has with his little brother is borderline disturbing. It was over the second Flickerman and Crane threatened Sammy. There’s nothing any of us are going to be able to say to him now.” 

Castiel clenched his jaw and looked to the ground, before turning around. “Goodnight, Finnick.” He didn’t wait for a reply and walked to the bedroom, opening the door and stepping inside, closing it after him. 

Dean was sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. He didn’t turn when Cass entered, or make any movement or noise whatsoever that signalled he even knew he wasn’t alone anymore. 

Castiel pulled his shirt off and dropped it on the ground, moving to crawl into the bed. Once he was laying back and was comfortable under the blankets he opened his arm for Dean. “Come here.”

Dean shook his head. “Cass… I…” Dean huffed, then made a frustrated noise. “This shit isn’t fair. Sammy was supposed to be safe.” 

“I know, Dean. I know you’re scared and you’re pissed… but you-,” he sighed, clicking his tongue. “Just come here, lay down with me.”

With what looked like incredibly forced, stiff movements, Dean laid down on his back right next to Cass. “Did I fuck things up? Don’t tell me what I wanna hear, Cass, please. I need you to be the one person that fucking levels with me on this. Did I put Sammy in danger?” 

Castiel wrapped one arm around Dean and stayed quiet as he considered all the elements that played into his answer. He closed his eyes and spoke softly, “did you fuck things up? Yes, I think you did. I’m not upset with you over it, no one is. No one except Cato, maybe, but Dean, your intentions were good. You wanted to give everyone a chance. A chance to return home and four people are getting that chance.” He fell silent for a moment and then shook his head. “They’re not going to touch Sam. Crane and Flickerman are the two most despised people on this planet and no one at Hogwarts is going to let them anywhere near Sam or any of the others. I have faith in the other professors there and this time I do actually have faith in Headmaster Shurley. He seems about as fed up with this as we are. I can’t guarantee anything, but no, I really don’t think Sam is in any kind of danger.”

Dean let out a slow breath. “I hope you’re right, angel. I don’t have the same kinda faith in our professors as you seem to, and Shurley’s about as likely to intervene as fuckin’ Groot is… but there’s nothin’ I can do about it now. I took my shot and I missed, simple as that. And all it cost us was food and the ability to at least kind of prepare ourselves for what’s to come. This shit’s far from over.” 

Castiel leaned over and tilted Dean’s chin to kiss him. “Maybe they’re only saying this stuff because they knows it bothers you. They know you’re going to shut down and worry about Sam. Don’t let that happen, Dean. Take tonight, with me, and cry. Cry and scream and break things if you have to, but tomorrow, tomorrow we’ve all got to pull ourselves together. We can’t let them break us like this.”

       “I’m good, Cass. Really. Don’t worry about me. Let’s just get some sleep, okay? I’m gonna have to deal with Cato in the morning.” Dean smiled at Cass, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He rolled onto his side and pulled Cass closer.

Castiel heard everything Dean said and saw his smile, but knew Dean was far from ‘good.’ He stayed quiet and cuddled back into Dean, closing his eyes and interlocking their fingers with one hand.

 

\-------------------------------

 

Castiel woke up the next morning and blinked his eyes open slowly, rolling around to face Dean. He sighed quietly, leaning in to kiss him gently before sliding out of the bed.

Dean stirred but didn’t wake up. He moved slightly and tugged the blankets up higher, effectively disappearing. 

Castiel smiled, watching him as he pulled his shirt on. He grabbed his wand and tucked it away, walking out to the meeting room, still in his pajama pants. “Anyone awake?”

Newt and Finnick were seated at the table, leaned in close to each other. Their whispered conversation halted as Newt glanced up to look at Cass. “Yes, as it turns out, I wasn’t much in the mood to sleep last night.” 

Castiel squinted at them and raised his eyebrows but didn’t ask about it, sliding into an empty seat at the table. “Yes, well, me neither.”

Fortunately for Castiel, Finnick seemed to be in a sharing mood. “We were talking about where Sirius might have gone. Newt here doesn’t think he’d be stupid enough to go back to Hogwarts, but I think he might’ve done.” 

Castiel tilted his head, but nodded once. “I reckon he went back. He wouldn’t give up on us like that, would he?”

Finnick shook his head, and Castiel recognized the same glint of defiance in his eyes that he usually saw in Dean’s.  _ Must be a Gryffindor thing.  _ Finnick leaned forward, whispering again. “We talked about trying to escape… even before Winchester’s plan. He told me if he got out, he was gonna go back for Sam, James and Remus and raise a little hell. I bet that’s  _ exactly  _ what he’s doing.” 

“That seems likely, to be honest.” Castiel sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. “We’ve got to kill two more days here before the sponsorship thing.”

Newt nodded. “That’s if we make it that far. Knowing Sirius, he’ll have half the student body descending on this place by nightfall.” 

Castiel breathed out. “Dean’s going to be  _ pissed _ if Sirius gets Sam involved.”

Finnick chuckled. “Not if they save his life, he won’t. Dean’s protective of Sam, but at the end of the day he knows that Sammy can handle himself. He also knows he can’t control him, so if Sirius tries to enlist Sam and Sam agrees, I don’t think Dean will be anything but scared.” He paused, then lowered his voice again, all laughter gone. “How’s he doing, by the way?”

Castiel shook his head a little bit, matching Finnick’s volume. “I don’t think he’s doing very well. He told me last night he was ‘good’ and even tried to smile but…”

“Dean’s stronger than a lot of people give him credit for, but he’s got a heart about eight sizes too big for his damn chest. He makes everything his problem, even if it’s got nothing to do with him. You know the minute I came to after the Choosing and saw Dean I knew we were going to try to escape?” Finnick raised his eyebrows, the hint of a grin returning. 

Castiel nodded, leaning back in his chair. “Yes, well, try we did.” He looked to Newt. “How are you doing?”

“Things haven’t changed much for me. I knew Sirius but not well, and prior to the Choosing I couldn’t have picked Luna or Jack out of a crowd to save my life. I didn’t escape but I wasn’t hurt, so I suppose that’s something.” Newt smiled awkwardly. 

“And nothing from Cato yet? Does anyone even know if he went to bed last night?” Castiel asked, standing up.

Finnick spoke up. “I went down there this morning and he was fast asleep on the floor in the training room. I think I scared the shit out of him, because he woke up and looked like he’d just spent a month in a cave. He didn’t talk much, he asked if Dean was awake and when I said no, he went back to hitting things. If you listen closely, you can probably still hear him.” 

Castiel fell silent and listened intently for the sounds of Cato, clearing his throat then he heard a  _ thud _ followed by Cato yelling something that he couldn’t quite make out. “Dean’s going to try and speak with him when he wakes up.”

“Hope you all are adept at  _ episkey.”  _ Newt said simply, just as Rue and Beetee came into the room. 

“Good morning, Castiel.” Rue nodded to Newt and Finnick and then came and sat behind him. “Since we’re stuck here, can we try out the pool today?” 

Castiel clicked his tongue as he looked back at Rue. “Do you know how to swim?”

She nodded quickly. “Yes, my aunt taught me when I was little. Do you?” 

He fell silent, looking around the room of people. He definitely didn’t know how to swim, he’d never felt the need to learn. He cleared his throat and nods once. “Of course I do.”

Beetee eyed him suspiciously. “Well, I don’t. I suppose this would be a good time to learn, since we have nothing better to do.” 

Castiel nodded and stood up, looking to Rue. “I’ll meet you down there, okay?”

Rue grinned and hopped off the chair. “There’s a dresser in the room that no one’s using now that Sirius is gone, it’s got swimming suits in it. Don’t take too long, Castiel!” Rue raced out of the room. 

Castiel tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling. If Finnick and Newt hadn’t been there, he would’ve been honest. He would’ve told Rue that he had no idea how. He chewed his lip and turned, sauntering off to the empty room.

Once in there he grabbed a pair of swimming trunks out of the dresser and changed quickly, his heart racing. “Can’t be too hard, right?” He said out loud to no one. “Just stay where you can touch, you’ll be fine.”

With a nod he turned and headed down to the pool, scanning the area when he entered it. “Hi, guys.”

Everyone but Cato and Dean were present, and Rue smiled widely at him as she splashed in the water. “Come in, the water’s really warm!” 

He cleared his throat and noticed the stairs that descended into the shallow end, making his way over to them before stepping onto the first step. Castiel paused for a moment and eyed Finnick and Newt, before submerging himself more, the water to his waist now.  _ This isn’t too bad, this is fine. _

Finnick had his feet in the water as he sat on the edge. He looked over at Cass and smirked. “You look scared, Novak. You good?” 

Castiel nodded and looked to Finnick. “I’m perfectly fine, Finn. Don’t worry about me.”

Finnick shrugged, then dove into the water, swimming under it to the other side of the pool. He stayed below the surface for an alarmingly long time, before springing up out of it, splashing everyone in his immediate vicinity. “Come on in, Castiel. Join us over here!” 

Castiel shifted on his feet before he shook his head. “I am in, Finn. I’m just… over here instead.”

“Yeah, yeah. I see you. But if you come over  _ here,  _ we can play Chicken!”

Castiel cleared his throat. “Chicken? I don’t believe I’m familiar with that game.”

“It’s easy. Someone climbs on my shoulders, and two other people do the same, and the people on top wrestle until one set falls over. It’s fun… which is probably why you’ve never heard of it.” Finnick grinned, splashing Rue as she tried to sneak up on him. 

Cass watched and shifted his eyes to the wall of the pool. He walked over slowly and held onto it as he pulled himself over to where everyone else was. “Happy?”

Finnick’s grin faded as he watched Cass. Surprisingly, his voice held no tone of mockery as he spoke. “You don’t know how to swim, do you? It’s okay if you don’t, a lot of wizards don’t actually know how to. I had to teach  _ myself.”  _

Castiel looked away from Finnick and to a random spot in the pool. “Perhaps.”

Finnick yelled for everyone else to quit splashing for a moment, and then swam closer to Cass. “If you want to learn, I can teach you. Or, you don’t have to swim at all. I’m sorry I pushed you, it’s not really your fault you don’t know.”

_ Who are you and what the hell happened to Finnick? _ He shifted his eyes to him, nodding once. “Do you think Purgatory will have something like this? Do you think I’ll need to know how to swim?”

“If you’re asking if Purgatory has in in-ground pool with a deck, I think the short answer is ‘no.’ I would like to think there is some sort of body of water there, however, or else we’ll all die of dehydration within a week.” It was Newt that spoke, swimming over to his other side. “Beetee said he didn’t know how to swim either. Maybe you both could learn? Just enough to get by, at least.” 

Finnick nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. And if Cato or fucking Carrow make fun of you while you learn, I’ll kick their asses.” 

Castiel watched Finnick. “Not that I’m not grateful for your help, because I am, I just... why aren’t  _ you _ making fun of me?”

Finnick’s eyes darkened and he lowered his voice. “It’s like I said, Castiel. It’s not your fault you don’t know how to swim. If you’d deliberately chosen not to learn, I’d make fun of you. But no one would do a dumbass thing like that, and I know what it’s li--” He huffed, cutting himself off. It took a moment, but he broke out in a smirk again. “If you’d prefer I make fun of you, I can arrange that.” 

Castiel rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “No thank you, I think I’ll pass on that second part.”

Finnick nodded once. “Okay, then swimming lessons it is. Start off by holding onto the side and letting your legs drop. Kick them back and forth, get used to how they feel moving in the water like that.” 

Castiel took a deep breath, but clutched onto the wall, letting his legs drop and kicking them slowly. 

Finnick continued giving him directions, and more than once he gave him one that didn’t make sense just to watch him get confused. After what seemed like a very long time, both him and Beetee were able to at least keep themselves afloat and propel themselves forward in the water.  _ I won’t be winning any medals for this, but it’s a start.  _

Castiel heaved himself out of the water, looking down at Finnick. “Thanks, Finn. Honestly, I really appreciate it.”

Finnick smiled. “Water’s awesome. I’m just happy to spread the love. Good work, from both of you. Maybe we can try again tomorrow and see if either one of you is actually brave enough to go underwater.” 

Castiel tensed but forced a smile. “Yes, alright. I’m going to go in and dry off, it should be time to eat soon, so don’t miss it.” He grabbed a towel off the ledge on the side and started drying off his arms and chest, heading back for the stairs. He paused outside the training room, tilting his head slightly when he heard two voices inside instead of one.  _ Dean? _

“Look, man. I know it didn’t end the way we wanted it to. I’m sorry you didn’t get out. But jesus, you gotta relax a little bit.” Dean sounded as if this was about the tenth time he’s had to say the same thing. 

Castiel heard a  _ thud,  _ and then Cato’s agitated retort. “Your plan was fucking stupid, I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you. You realize if they catch the others, they’ll probably just kill them and be done with it?” 

Dean’s voice lowered to the point where Castiel had to lean closer to the door to properly make it out. “You don’t think I fucking know that? You don’t think I’m not thinkin’ about the four of them every second of the day now? About Sammy, and the threats those douchebags made? I  _ am,  _ but this was the whole point! To get people out. Yeah, we only got a third of us out, but that’s a helluva lot more than we could say before we tried it.” 

Cass heard another dull thump, before a growl. “Your brother isn’t the only person we left behind that’s in danger now, Winchester. You said yourself you already knew all about Sarah and what my dad did. You don’t think she’s in as much danger as your stupid fucking brother?” 

This time, there was the distinct sound of a fist hitting flesh. It was followed quickly by several bangs, the scrape of a chair on concrete, and muffled shouts. Cass prepared himself to go in just as the sounds stopped. 

Cato sounded out of breath as he spoke. “You gave up. I’m not going to. I’m getting out of here with or without the rest of you.” 

Dean grunted. “Get the fuck off of me, Cato, you made your goddamn point. I never said I was giving up, but unlike you… I  _ do  _ care who else gets out. I’m tryin’ to think of a way to get us all out without putting anyone else in -- for  _ fucks sake get offa me!”  _ Cass heard more muffled noises, and then Dean continued, letting out a sharp breath. “If Sirius, Jack, Ash or Luna dies… it’s on me. I get that. But blaming me isn’t gonna help anybody get out of here. Now get your shit together and get back upstairs. Maybe someone else has a better plan than we did.” 

“Then  _ you  _ did. I might have agreed, but this was all you.” Another thump, and then Cato walked out of the room, stopping in front of Cass. “What the fuck do you want?” 

Castiel clenched his jaw and didn’t say anything, brushing past Cato and into the training room, looking at Dean on the ground. “What the hell, Cato?!”

“He hit me first, I just finished it.” Cato turned and walked back up the stairs, leaving them alone. 

Castiel moved to Dean quickly and kneeled down beside him. He felt around for his wand but realized it was still in the shirt he had on earlier.

“I’m fine, Cass. He didn’t hurt me, he just used his giant fucking ape body to pin me. Just wait till his jaw bruises.” Dean sat up, grabbing his elbow and rolling his shoulder. 

“Are you sure?” Castiel watched him, sitting back against the wall. 

Dean nodded. “Yeah, I think he hurt my ego more than anything. I’m good, and he’s gonna be fine. He’s just sad and it comes out as aggression.” Dean paused for a moment and then barked a laugh. “People say the same shit about me, guess it takes one to know one.” 

Castiel was unamused and grabbed the towel, drying off his hair with it. “Right. How did you sleep?”

Dean pushed himself to his feet and pulled his wand out of his back pocket, looking relieved that it was still in one piece. “Alright I guess, all things considered. Where were you?” Dean’s eyes travelled up and down his body, then landed on this mouth. 

Cass shrugged and stood as well. “We were all trying out the pool. It’s nice.”

He grinned, walking over and kissing him. “Shoulda woken me up, it woulda been worth it.” 

Castiel kissed him back, smiling slightly now. “Well, perhaps we can go back tonight, once everyone’s asleep. I don’t think it would’ve been very attractive for you to watch me flail around and nearly drown.”

Dean slid his hands down to Cass’s waist and frowned. “Why were you flailing?” 

“Just now, in that pool, I learned how to swim.” He shifted slightly, looking down for a moment. “Finnick taught Beetee and I.”

Dean looked temporarily surprised, but then smiled. “Good for you, Cass. I’m proud of you for learning something new.” 

Castiel blinked and shifted his eyes to Dean’s, relaxing against the wall. “You can swim, I assume?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, dad made sure of it. Came in handy a time or two. My mom used to tell me I could swim before I could walk, which…” Dean glanced down at his legs and shrugged. “Yeah, that’s probably true.” 

“As long as you know how to do both, who cares which order you learned in?” Castiel shrugged, tilting Dean’s chin up. 

“Oh, I don’t. It really doesn’t make a difference to me, I was just saying.” Dean glanced at his watch and his eyes widened. “Cass, we gotta move! Breakunchinner is in like 2 minutes.” Dean didn’t wait for a response as he turned and sprinted up the stairs, nearly tripping more than once.

“Bless you,” Castiel mumbled, grabbing the towel and making his way upstairs as well and into the meeting room.

Sure enough, the food soon appeared on the table. Everyone else had already made their way inside, and with only 5 minutes to eat enough for a full day, it was a madhouse. Dean surfaced from the crowd of people quickly, bringing two plates over to where Cass stood against the wall. “Here, hurry up.” He handed the plate to Cass and then sat down, once again foregoing silverware in the interest of expediency. 

Castiel chuckled, thanking Dean for the plate as he picked at some bacon and some fruit, realizing how long it had been since he’d had strawberries. He quickly ate them all, grabbing a piece of toast to eat as well.

All too soon, the remainder of the food disappeared. Dean groaned. “On the bright side, we’ll be used to starving by the time we get dropped in Purgatory.” 

 

**_Dean: Day Six_ **

 

The otherwise uneventful morning was interrupted when Flickerman and Crane showed up, very much uninvited. They both looked equally harassed, and Dean wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to mess with them now that he was decently convinced they wouldn’t hurt his brother. 

“Don’t we have to like… invite you guys in or something? I thought that was a thing with bloodsuckers.” Dean leaned back on the couch, the empty plates from their only meal on the table in front of him. “Wait, you guys might suck a lot of things, but I guess it’d be an insult to vamps to lump you in with them.” 

Flickerman narrowed his eyes at Dean. “Well, from what I hear, you like to…” he shifted his eyes to Castiel briefly, than back to Dean, “ _ suck _ things as well, if you will.”

Dean felt a rush of anger and slight embarrassment, but kept a smirk plastered on his face, remembering that Cass told him they can’t let Flickerman and Crane see them break. “It’s just the one thing, really… and what can I say, I’ve got a big mouth.” 

Castiel turned as red as a tomato and looked to the ground, trying to fight the smirk on his own face, which Dean caught anyway. 

Finnick snorted a laugh which was cut off by Crane clearing his throat, shifting his eyes between the other tributes. “That’s enough of that.” He spoke sharply, crossing his arms. “I hope you all feel confident with your abilities.”

“Oh, I’m  _ real  _ confident in my abilities, don’t worry about me.” Dean looked to Cass and wiggled his eyebrows. 

Castiel looked up from the ground, his face slowly returning to its normal colour. “As am I.” He looked to Dean and shook his head, chuckling quietly.

“That isn’t at all what I meant, you incompetent little shit,” Crane narrowed his eyes at Dean. “Perhaps you weren’t taught how to be respectful when you were younger.”

“I wasn’t, actually. My daddy taught me how to kill things. Not much need for respect there.” Dean shrugged, but his mood and his eyes darkened. 

Castiel seemed to pick up on this and stepped forward, changing the subject. “So, what can we do for you?”

Flickerman scoffed. “Besides kill each other, there isn’t much. We actually came to deliver some news. Where’s the other Slytherin? Cato, or whatever is name is.”

Dean stood up. “I’ll go get him. Try not to get any douchier while I’m gone, I don’t think this room can take it.” Dean disappeared down the steps and returned a couple of minutes later with Cato behind him. 

Cato looked between Flickerman and Crane. “Who the fuck let you two in? I thought we put up spells against assholes.” Dean and Cato sat down on the couch Dean had been on earlier and adopted similar stances. 

“We let ourselves in, we can do that.” Crane cleared his throat. “We figured you’d like an update on your little escapists.”

Dean’s jaw clenched, but he remained silent. 

“Well, I shall interpret the silence as you  _ would _ like one. Unfortunately, much to our dismay, we haven’t located them yet. With that being said, Death Eaters now guard every hallway, every classroom and every entrance to Hogwarts. We have reason to suspect that they will be returning to Hogwarts,” Flickerman stated, his eyes narrowed.

Dean didn’t care. Hope swelled in his chest at the news that Sirius and the others were still free, and he knew enough about the students and professors of Hogwarts to know that they could handle themselves against a few extra Death Eaters. He didn’t bother trying to conceal his triumphant grin. “Sucks to suck, doesn’t it?” 

Crane shifted his eyes to Dean but remained silent. Flickerman, on the other hand, did not. “I do hope your breakfast this morning was enjoyable. Or shall I say… meal?”

Dean shrugged. “Bacon was a little burnt, but it was still bacon. You guys should enlist some House Elves though… seems cooking isn’t among your incredibly short list of talents.” 

“We don’t make the food, Dean. Quite frankly, we aren’t sure where it comes from. Lord Voldemort handles that.”

“That’s mildly unsanitary, I’m not convinced that dude knows what a shower is.” Dean knew he was pushing his luck, but what did it matter at this point? 

Crane rolled his eyes. “Tomorrow you will be taken one by one to the training room, where you will have the chance to prove to your professors and pureblood families what your skills are. If they feel so inclined, they can choose to sponsor you but judging by the lot of you… I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”

Dean fake yawned loudly. “How many times are you gonna tell us this shit? We get it, put on a funny hat and dance for the spectators… yeah, yeah. This monkey doesn’t perform for free though, there better be some good music involved.” 

“There’s no hats, no music, and certainly no dancing. You come into the room, you get ten minutes and then you leave. That’s all there is to it. Perhaps I should keep telling you until you all get it through your thick skulls.” Crane sneered, tilting his head.

“Geeze, you’d think after what, twelve, now thirteen years of this shit you guys would figure out how to write a decent death montage. We get it, douchebag, trust me. Are you done?” Dean’s irritation level was rising quickly, in direct contrast to the level of his patience.

Flickerman smiled fakely. “We’re done here. We shall see you all tomorrow.” With that, they both disappeared, Castiel letting out a deep breath.

Dean shook his head. “God, I fuckin’ hate those guys.” 

Rue crossed her arms and looked down. “Do you think we ruined our chances of receiving any sponsors?”

Finnick clicked his tongue. “Nah, don’t worry, kid. At least the other professors at Hogwarts somewhat like us, right?”

“I wouldn't be so sure.” Castiel chuckled quietly, licking his bottom lip.

“I’m pretty sure Cinna wants to marry you, Cass. Don’t sit there and tell me you ain’t sure.” Dean smiled and shook his head. “We’ll be fine, especially if we stick together.” 

“Nah, Winchester, I’m pretty sure Cass wants to marry Professor Cinna. Ain’t that right, Cass?” Finnick smirked.

Castiel shrugged and crossed his arms. “Don’t complain when you don’t get any sponsors, Finn. It’s not my fault professors like me.”

“Pffft,” Dean made a face. “Odair’s the fuckin’ golden child in Gryffindor. I’ll be seriously surprised if Professor Mills doesn’t throw him a bone.” 

Castiel nodded, smiling slightly. “Whatever we get, we work together.” He shifted his eyes to Cato. “Right?”

Cato’s arms were crossed but he slowly released them. “I already told your boyfriend I’m not gonna hurt any of you unless I absolutely have to. That’s about all I can promise. Stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours.” 

Dean glared at him but didn’t push it. “We should probably keep training. Does everyone know what they’re gonna show the sponsors?” 

Rue nodded. “My plants! I’ll show them how well I know them and then maybe they’ll sponsor me with some dittany or something.”

Castiel nodded as well. “Potions, probably. Certainly  _ not _ metal death sticks.”

Dean grinned despite himself and looked at Newt. “What about you?” 

Newt’s eyes seemed almost unfocused. “I guess that depends. I don’t know how I’d show them how good I am with magical creatures if there aren’t any. There was a grindylow in the room we were in last time… maybe there will be something similar. If there’s not… I really don’t have any idea what I’ll do.” 

Cato chimed in. “I’m good at everything, and I’m going to make damn sure they know that.” 

Dean looked to Beetee, who took that as his cue. “I’m good with technology. Inventions and the like. Depending on what materials I’m given, I’m going to build…  _ something.”  _

Castiel smiled at Beetee and then turned to Alecto Carrow. “And you?”

Alecto sneered at him. “Wouldn’t  _ you  _ like to know?” Cato shot him a look, and Alecto almost cowered under it. “I’m good at the Dark Arts. The pureblood families will eat that shit up.” 

Castiel nodded and then turned to Dean. “What’re you going to show them?”

“Probably my freakishly good looks and a couple of middle fingers.” Dean shrugged. “That’s the working plan, anyway.” 

Castiel sighed, watching Dean. “As true as that is, what are you actually going to do? Because although your ‘freakishly good looks’ work on many people, I’m not sure the sponsors feel the same.”

“You tryin’ to tell me I can’t ‘Blue Steel’ my way into a couple of favours from Trinket and Hanscum? You’re nuts, buddy.” The truth was, Dean had absolutely no idea what he was going to do, but he had what he believed was a decent fallback if all else failed. “Nah, in all honesty… I’ll probably just show ‘em my hunting skills. Shooting, trapping, y’know. Shit like that. It’s not much, but it might come in handy in Purgatory so it might at least get me a weapon or two.” 

Rue grinned at him. “I think they’ll like that. It’ll be different from the rest of us.”

“Yeah, it’ll look like I’m the only one that doesn’t own a damn wand.” Dean stood up and looked around. “Since it seems like no one picked the same talents, we should split up. Try to work out what you can do in ten minutes so you’re prepared for tomorrow. This is it, guys. As much as I hate to say it, we need to play along. About the only thing those sons of bitches have told us so far that I actually believe is that getting sponsors could be the difference between life and death in there. We need ‘em, no matter how much it sucks.” 

Castiel moved over to stand beside Dean and nodded. “I agree with you. There’s no room for error tomorrow. If you’ve ever been perfect for ten minutes in your life, it needs to be the ten tomorrow.”


	9. The Letter

_ Dean _

 

Dean licked his lips and swallowed hard as he looked around at the people surrounding him in the training room. Flickerman and Crane had come to get them before their one meal of the day, and his stomach was churning. He had watched Beetee, Finnick, Cato and Rue go into the room one by one, and each of them came out looking more nervous than anything. He expected that from Rue, and maybe even from Beetee, but Cato and Finnick’s reactions had almost scared him. He hadn’t slept much the night before, staying curled against Cass but unable to find sleep. He would start to drift off but would jerk awake again from either the beginnings of nightmares or just thoughts and anxiety that wouldn’t quit. Dean had spent so much of his life failing to impress those around him that he had eventually quit trying. Now that he had to focus every conscious thought into impressing an entire room of people, he was nearly paralyzed by insecurities. If this was just about him, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But other people, a  _ lot  _ of other people, were relying on him to earn at least one sponsor today. He’d gone over and over it in his mind and had failed miserably at coming up with an acceptable plan. He’d ultimately decided just to wing it, but now that he was here and his ten minutes were about to begin… he was seriously regretting that tactic. 

He was given a few minutes to look around the room and gather whatever materials he thought he’d need before the timer officially began. During that time, he had almost frantically searched the training room for something that would stick out at him or give him some stroke of brilliance that he just hadn’t thought of previously. He noted with a fraction of a smile that there was a niffler in a cage against one of the walls, and he thought that at least Newt would come out of this okay. Potions, plants he’d never seen, spellbooks…  _ no, no, this is all wrong. I can’t do shit with any of this.  _

His eyes finally landed on the colt he’d used during days two and three of training. He picked it up and made his way over to what he’d named the trapping station. There wasn’t much to set up, if he touched any of the ropes or hooks before the timer started, he’d probably be disqualified. 

He recognized a couple of the purebloods in the room as some of the Death Eaters that had stopped their escape attempt. He noticed with a small degree of satisfaction that the Death Eater Castiel had put the Unforgivable Curse on wasn’t present.  _ Good, maybe he got demoted. Or murdered. Or maybe he was just too scared to show his face.  _

The timer started and Dean got to work. He dropped to his knees and quickly started constructing one of the first snares his dad ever taught him. He knew he could do it in under two minutes, which was why he’d chosen it despite its simplistic and wholly unremarkable nature. When it was set, he picked up his wand in one hand and the gun in the other. He found himself once again grateful for his dad, because he’d learned quickly how to shoot with his non-dominant hand. His dad told him that was a necessary skill because in his line of work, you could never guarantee you were coming home with both arms. 

With his wand in his right hand and the colt in the left, he pointed his wand at something electrical looking - possibly the thing Beetee invented - and yelled, “ _ Wingardium Leviosa!”  _

The thing made a metallic groaning noise as it lifted off the ground, it’s odd shape twisting this way and that as it steadily rose into the air. Dean fired the gun once and hit his mark. The small contraption exploded in sparks and what looked like smoke. He hoped that Beetee hadn’t been planning on bringing whatever it was to Purgatory, because it was now lying in ruins on the ground. A couple of his professors clapped, and while he received no such applause from the Death Eaters, they were definitely paying attention to him. 

He repeated the same levitate/shoot maneuver with two other objects that had been laid out in preparation of the training, each time flicking his wand to send the items shooting sideways before he fired. He was thankful that his aim was true, because he’d never attempted such a thing left handed and been almost beside himself with nerves that he wasn’t going to be able to pull it off with so many people watching. 

He figured he had about four minutes left at this point, and he glanced around again. He realized quickly that the trap he had set looked incredibly unimpressive as it was, and the only way to remedy that was to actually catch something. He eyed the niffler briefly, and remembered Newt droning on and on about them one day at the beginning of the school year when they had served detention together.  _ Shiny… find something shiny.  _ His eyes quickly scanned the room, but nothing jumped out at him. He glanced to the purebloods and decided to take a risk. “ _ Accio jewelry!”  _

Several hauty exclamations were heard as earrings, necklaces, watches and rings flew off of their wealthy owners. He clearly hadn’t thought this through, because he was pelted by each and every one of the pieces of shiny gold and silver jewelry that came at him. He scrambled to pick them up and sprinted over to the trap he set as he heard the niffler squeaking excitedly behind him. He tossed the prizes into the trap and ran as quickly as he could to the niffler cage.  _ “Alohamora!”  _ His voice was hoarse from nerves and the sudden exertion, but the second the cage’s door sprang free, the niffler took off towards the trap. His heart thundered in his chest as he watched it step on the trigger wire, and the trap snapped closed around it. It squealed and thrashed, but wasn’t able to get free.  _ Fuck yeah, it worked. Now for the finale.  _

He hated himself for what he was about to do, but at the end of the day he knew that getting the purebloods on his side was more important than saving face. With less than a minute left on the timer, he let the faces of all the people he loved fill his mind, and he pointed his wand above the trapped niffler. “ _ Morsmordre!”   _

His stomach gave an unsettled heave at the sight of the Dark Mark that he’d just conjured into the training room. He’d had half a mind to do it right and kill the niffler first, but Newt hadn’t gone yet and he knew he would need the creature alive and unharmed if he had any hope to succeed. Dean wasn’t disappointed in the looks on the pureblood families’ faces as they glanced up at the skull and snake symbol that represented Voldemort. Dean thought it was gross and almost cheesy, but it seemed to have achieved the end he was looking for. 

He looked to each of his professors in turn, hoping they’d be able to understand why he did it, and not assume that he was giving in to the Death Eaters. He couldn’t tell from their faces, and he wasn’t close enough to say anything without being overheard by everyone else. He racked his brain for some sort of symbol he could give them, but nothing came to mind other than --  _ wait. I don’t know if she’ll get why I’m doing it, but…  _

Dean started whistling the beginning notes to The Lion Sleeps Tonight, his eyes focused solely on Professor Mills. Her eyes flickered with something like recognition, but whether there was any understanding there, he wasn’t sure. He wanted desperately to ask her if his brother was okay, if Sirius was okay… if  _ they  _ were okay with all of the added security that Voldemort had placed at the castle, but he knew that would be a mistake. Any sign at all at this point that he wasn’t on board with the Death Eaters would nullify what he’d just done. He set his jaw and looked to Flickerman. 

He bit his tongue quickly, but forced his voice to lose any bitter edge that had been building. “May I be dismissed?” 

Flickerman grinned almost evilly. “My, my, my. Look who finally learned some manners.” 

Dean wanted to scream. Wanted to curse him, shoot him, hurt him, do  _ something  _ other than what he actually did. He bowed his head slightly, setting the colt back down where he got it from and pocketing his wand. 

“I learned my place in this world.” He had chosen his words carefully there, because while they meant one thing to Flickerman and all of the other people in that room, they meant something entirely different to Dean.  _ My place is helping people. My  _ **_peace_ ** _ is helping people. And I’ll do whatever I gotta do, sacrifice whatever parts of me I gotta sacrifice in order to help my friends.  _

Flickerman didn’t catch the double-meaning, which Dean supposed was good. “No, actually. You may  _ not  _ go. Your change of heart has also brought about a slight change of plans. You get to meet the boss. Come with me.” Flickerman turned, Crane flanking him as they walked to a door towards the back of the room. 

Panic shot through Dean like fireworks.  _ He can’t possibly fucking mean who I think he means.  _

“Now, Mr. Winchester, or I might start to think that was just for show,” Flickerman called over his shoulder in a sing-song voice. 

Dean found his feet and followed quickly, the sound of his own heart drumming erratically against his chest drowning out almost everything else.  _ This is it. I pushed too far this morning, they never had any intention of letting me get sponsors or even go to Purgatory at all. I’m gonna get killed, right fucking now, by Voldemort himself.  _ His steps became sluggish with this realization and he nearly tripped more than once as he forced his limbs to keep moving. Inside of the room was a single book on a single table. No sign of other Death Eaters or, thankfully, Voldemort. 

Dean’s relief was short lived as Flickerman stood by the book, Crane on it’s other side. “Touch it and it will take you to him. I must warn you, our Lord is skilled at Legilimency, which is the practice of reading minds. I advise you not to lie to him. He doesn’t take kindly to falsehoods.” Flickerman sneered again. “It was nice knowing you, Dean Winchester. I’ll be sure to send your brother Sam whatever is left of your body.” 

Dean considered running, but he had nowhere to run to. Even if he managed to get past Flickerman and Crane, there was still an entire room of Death Eaters out there waiting for him. He had no choice, and he knew it. He only wished in that moment that he’d thought to kiss Castiel one more time. 

He placed a shaky hand on the book and was ripped from the room. He landed roughly in a chair at a long dining room table with at least ten seats on each side. Seated at the head of the table, was Lord Voldemort. 

Dean had seen photos of him but wasn’t prepared for how truly horrible he was. He didn’t appear to have much of a nose, just two little slits where his nostrils should be. It was incredibly distracting, and Dean had to force himself not to stare at it. He was completely bald, with eyes redder than any ruby Dean had ever seen.  _ That’s gotta be magic, nobody fucking looks like that without magic.  _ He noticed how his skin seemed to pull grotesquely over his bones, the milky white flesh sticking out in stark contrast to his jet black robes. The biggest snake that Dean had ever laid eyes on was curling it’s way across the floor, and Dean stiffened to the point of looking like someone had just placed a binding curse on him. 

“Nagini,” Voldemort stated simply. Even his voice was snake-like, if that was even possible. “And you… who are you, exactly?” His words were slow and drawn out, deliberately filling space. 

Dean swallowed hard and allowed himself exactly three extra seconds of panic before straightening up in his seat and clearing his throat. “Winchester. Dean Winchester.” 

Voldemort hissed. “You will address me by ‘sir’ or ‘Lord,’ or I will make sure Nagini gets mudblood for dinner.” He seemed to sniff the air, and then he let out an almost disgusted breath. “You reek of it. Filthy muggle blood… why are you here?” 

Dean’s eyes were flicking between Voldemort’s, and he realized he likely looked like a scared little boy. He forced himself to pick an eye to stare at and leveled out his voice. “I was sent here, by Flickerman and Crane.” He remembered himself and added, with no small amount of sarcasm, “ _ Sir.”  _

Voldemort studied him for a period of time that was much too long to fit into Dean’s comfort range. “You proved yourself in some way… how?” 

The warning about Voldemort being a mind-reader rang through his head, and he tried to clear his mind. He focused solely on what happened and not the motivations behind it. “I conjured your mark. When it was time to get sponsors, I… did the spell to conjure the Dark Mark.” 

“Oh?” If Dean didn’t know any better, which he did, he’d think that Voldemort was actually amused by this. “And how is it that a mudblood such as yourself came to know such a spell?” 

This was easy. “I paid attention in Dark Arts. Cr-- Professor Crane taught us in our first lesson.” 

Again with the prolonged, awkward studying. Dean got the distinct impression that he was trying, and perhaps failing, to read Dean’s mind. “And why did you conjure the Dark Mark? Do you wish to join me now, save yourself the trouble of the Games I have so kindly put in place for you? Did you think you’d gain some sort of favour with me?” 

_ Lie, Dean. This is what humans are good at. This is how people become President, or survive impromptu encounters with evil fucking bastards. Lie your ass off. Lie like your dad just caught you and Cass in the backseat of his Impala.  _ “No, I didn’t think it would gain me favour. I was told I needed to learn my place in this world. I guess I just learned it quicker than the others.  _ Sir.”  _

If Voldemort sensed the lie, he made no move to punish Dean. “Ahh, but see… that’s where you’re wrong. You have no place in this world. None with your particular…  _ disease  _ do. The Games are merely a means to an end. I have heard that you and the other sacrifices have chosen to work together. Touching, touching, I’m sure. But do you know what awaits you in Purgatory, boy? Monsters. Low born, savage monsters. All of those creatures your father killed --” He paused at Dean’s startled expression and grinned the most hideous smile Dean had ever seen. “Oooh  _ yes,  _ I know all about your father, John Winchester, and the things he hunts in the night. It’s poetic justice to me that those very same beasts will be hunting  _ you  _ come tomorrow night. Purgatory is where those creatures go when they die. It’s Hell for monsters, in every sense of the word. So you can rebel against me all you wish. You can make your secret plans and put on your little show… but when it comes down to it, the students are  _ never  _ the ones to kill each other.” 

Dean gaped, no longer able to control his expression. Voldemort pressed on, seemingly enjoying his little monologue. “Did you think you were the firsts? The firsts to defy me and what I’ve built?” He laughed, and the sound was cold and piercing. “Nearly every set of tributes before you has done the same thing. And they’ve all met the same… bloody ends.” Voldemort’s smile was nothing short of sadistic when Dean’s fists clenched and he swallowed audibly. “You were the first to engineer a successful escape attempt, however. I’m sure I have your father to thank for that, and don’t worry… he will be repaid in kind.” 

Dean shuddered at the words and finally found his voice again. “You leave my family alone you sick fuck!” He was on his feet, adrenaline and fear for his family overtaking any sense of rationality. “They never did a god damned thing to you, nobody did. My dad eats pissants like you for breakfast, so  _ go ahead.  _ Go after him. It’ll be the last fucking thing you ever do.” The second the threat left Dean’s mouth, he wished he could take it back.  _ No, fuck, shit, what have I -- save it, Dean, fucking back track,  _ **_beg,_ ** _ for fuck’s sake do something before he actually does go after your dad!  _ Words were failing him again, because Nagini was inching ever closer to him, her jaw snapping menacingly. 

Voldemort seemed unphased by Dean’s outburst. “I doubt he’s worth my time. I’ll be sure to send someone else after him though… he can’t fight us off forever. Our numbers are too large, to vast to be overtaken. You should have just let me have your brother, Dean. Your dad would be safe, your mother would be safe… you would be safe. Instead, I’m going to make sure that you see the bloody, torn bodies of every single person you ever loved.” 

“Why! I’m just a fucking kid, I’m not a threat to you! I barely managed to get four people out, and from what Flickerman and Crane said, you guys nearly found them again!” His anger was creeping to the surface again, fighting fear for dominance in his mind. 

“You’re correct, Mr. Winchester.  _ You  _ are not a threat to me. I could kill you right now and barely have to raise my voice to do it. It is your mindset that I take issue with. You have inserted yourself into something far bigger than you, and now I will make an example of you to anyone else foolish enough to follow the same path. You may go now, before I change my mind and kill you outright.” 

Dean didn’t need to be told twice, he reached for the PortKey book but was cut off by Voldemort. “Oh, when you get to Purgatory… you’ll find a particularly vicious vampire named Benny. Tell him Lord Voldemort sends his regards.” 

Dean threw his hand onto the book and was transported back to the small room just off of the training area. The door was shut and he was alone, so he tossed the book back on the table and sank down to the floor, every part of him shaking. 

  
  


_ Castiel:  _

 

Castiel paced the meeting room, his mind running through all the possible scenarios of what could occur.  _ What if the potion stations a mess? What if- what if there isn’t any ingredients left? Or- or the plants. I could probably handle plants but Rue’s probably exerted that station. And where the hell is Dean? _

Castiel shifted his eyes to clock and realized it was slowly approaching the thirty minute mark. They had kept Dean twenty minutes longer than they were supposed to. 

“Ah, sorry about the hold up, Mr. Novak.” Flickerman grinned, nodding to him. “If you’re ready, we can go now.”

“Where’s Dean?” Castiel demanded, stepping back from them. “Where the hell is he?!” He had watched everyone else return, but  _ where the hell is Dean? _

“Easy now, Castiel. Don’t go hurting yourself just yet.” Crane crossed his arms and joined in on the pacing. “You see, Dean’s smart. Much smarter than any of us ever realized. We had to take him out, unfortunately.”

“You’re lying!” Castiel shouted, glaring at the both of them. “You’re both fucking liars! Where is he?!”

“Watch your mouth, Castiel.” Flickerman narrowed his eyes at him. “He’s dead.”

Castiel’s eyes were welling with tears, his anger rising. “What did you do with him?!”

“Killed him.” Seneca shrugged, stopping his pacing as he turned to Castiel.

“You’re a liar!” Castiel shouted, reaching forward and shoving Crane with all his might. “Where is he?!”

“Dead.” Flickerman answered this time. “Keep your hands off of him, or I’ll remove them entirely.”

Castiel felt as if he was going to fall to the ground. He swallowed hard and clenched his jaw. “I swear to God if any harm comes to him…”

“The damage is done, Castiel. He’s  _ dead _ . What do you not understand about that?” Flickerman asked with almost a hint of sympathy in his voice.

Castiel closes his eyes and clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. His entire body was shaking because honestly, Dean being dead was the most unlikely thing. 

“Now, if your little tantrum is over, we’d like to begin your session.” Crane pushed.

Castiel didn’t answer verbally, he just nodded once and tried to compose himself, knowing he’d have to be strong.  _ Dean would want me to be strong. _

All too quickly, Castiel was in the very familiar but unfamiliar training room. He refused to look at the sponsors up above, and instead made his way to the potions table. His eyes scanned the shelf behind it, looking for various ingredients. He started listing each one in his head, before there was a voice over the intercom.

“Um, Mr Novak, you may begin,” Flickerman sneered. Castiel looked to the clock and realized he had already wasted an entire minute. He swore under his breath as he went to work on making a potion. 

_ This isn’t going to wow them enough, do something more. Two things at once- show them you can multitask.  _

Castiel set his potion to simmer and quickly ran over to the guns. He grabbed the same one Dean had shown him how to use on day three, and began loading it as he raced back over to the potion table. 

He got there just in time to notice the potion simmering so he grabbed the squill bulb and juiced it into the cauldron, stirring vigorously with one hand, while turning towards the targets with the other. 

_ Aim. Breathe. Squeeze.  _ Castiel squeezed the trigger with his entire hand while blowing out his breath, watching the bullet soar and land slightly off centre to the target, but better than he could’ve ever imagined.

He set the gun down and began to chop up anemone-like growth on the back of Murtlap, adding that to the cauldron. 

He grabbed a dash of tincture of thyme and threw it in, his movements with the stirring hand slowing down now. He reached for the gun again and cocked it with one hand, turning back to the targets.

_ Aim, breathe, squeeze.  _ He does the movements in order and watched as the bullet soared through the air and landed smack dab in the middle of the target.

Castiel set the gun down again and focused solely on the cauldron, swallowing down any thoughts of Dean.

He pulled his wand out once the potion was complete and waved it over the cauldron in a figure eight pattern while saying , “ _ Felixempra!” _

He breathed out when his Liquid Luck potion was brewed correctly and glanced at the clock.  _ Three minutes. What can you do for three minutes.  _

He abandoned the potion station and walked over to a table he hadn’t seen on any of the other training days. Resting on top of it was a star chart.

Castiel squinted at it and finally looked up to see the sponsors. He scanned his eyes through the professors, noticing Hanscum, Mills, Crane and then his eyes landed on someone he thought he’d never see again.

_ Cinna. _

Professor Cinna met Castiel’s eyes and winked at him. Castiel tilted his head and looked back down at the star chart _.  _

He picked up the quill and shifted his eyes to the chart, then over to the side where he found a telescope. He pointed it up at the sky and groaned audibly when he realized the star pattern was unlike anything he’d ever seen. 

Not willing to give up, he began scribbling down the stars and their names while continuing to look through the telescope. He knew he was running out of time but was determined to finish this.

He finished charting the stars and decided to let some of his anger out about the Dean situation. He scribbled down an extra sentence.

He set his quill down, breathing heavily as if he had just run a marathon. He looked to the clock and watched it tick down from three.  _ Three… two… one… _

He chanced a glance to the sponsors again, realizing Cinna was the only one clapping, nodding as he did. 

Castiel swallowed hard and picked up his star chart, his eyes scanning over his work. The landed on the sentence he had scribbled at the bottom of the parchment.

He clenched his jaw and braced himself, turning the parchment so the sponsor could see. On the bottom, written in a large enough font so the sponsors were able to see it were four simple words.

_ Prepare for the Uprising. _

He watched as sponsors jaws dropped, his eyes landing on Cinna who was still clapping. He then shifted his eyes to Flickerman and Crane who, although trying to seem unaffected, were definitely looking a little put off.

With one final burst of confidence, Castiel crumpled up the chart and tossed it to the ground. He gave a mocking bow, before he was sent back to the house alone.

When he landed he looked around quickly, noticing all the other tributes but not seeing Dean. His heart raced and he gripped at his hair.

“Novak, woah!” Finnick shouted, stepping closer to Cass to steady him. “What the hell happened in there? And where’s Dean?”

Castiel shook his head quickly and closes his eyes, the tears streaming down his face now. “H-he’s dead! They- they killed him! D-Dean’s dead!”

Finnick scanned Castiel’s face and shook his head. “Nah, you’re fuckin’ with me. This is all some sick joke, right?”

Castiel shook his head again, slumping down against the wall. “N-no. I don’t- he’s-...”

Rue ran up to him and grabbed onto his leg. “Cass, you have to calm down, you’re going to hyperventilate. H-Here.”

She reached into her pocket and handed him the vial of Draught of Peace he had made for her on day two of training. “Drink it, I didn’t take it all.”

Castiel took the vial all too eagerly and drank it. Instantly he felt a calming sensation wash over him as he tilted his head back against the wall. 

Newt sat down next to him. “They wouldn’t kill him, Castiel. It has to be a mistake, maybe… maybe a lie they told you to unsettle you before your turn.”

Castiel shook his head slowly, still not bothering with the tears as he tried to control his breathing. “If he wasn’t dead before, I just signed his death warrant.”

That got Finnick’s attention. “What?” 

Castiel swallowed hard and didn’t meet Finnick’s eyes. “You heard me, Finn. I acted out of anger and-.” He breathes out, squeezing his eyes shut.

“And  _ what,  _ Novak?! What the fuck did you do!” Finnick was on his feet, walking towards Cass. 

Castiel opened his eyes and stood, prepared for whatever Finnick was going to do to him because deep down he knew Dean probably just died because of him. He spoke in a voice that showed no emotion, his eyes half closed as he watched Finnick. “I promised them an uprising.”

Finnick sighed heavily. “Oh, is that all? Christ, Novak, you actually scared me for a minute.”

Castiel tilted his head at Finnick. “That wasn’t- you don’t think that’s a big deal?”

“It’s not that, I mean… I’m honestly a little impressed with you. I didn’t think you had it in you. I’m just saying, I can’t really be too mad at you about that… because all I ended up doing for mine was quoting a speech from The Dirty Dozen which was basically riddled with threats of war and rebellion.” Finnick shrugged. “Guess we both had the same idea.” 

Just then, Dean slowly walked around the corner, shaking his head. “Easy now, Finnick. I don’t think your little brain can handle any ‘big ideas,’ you might hurt yourself. Not to mention… the Braveheart speech was better. You shoulda gone with that one.” 

Castiel gasped loudly at the sight of Dean and pushed himself off the wall, moving to Dean in a swift motion and wrapping his arms around him, holding him tightly. “You’re not dead!” He whispered loudly, his face in Dean’s neck.

Dean looked startled. “Not -- what? Who told you I was dead?” 

Cass didn’t loosen his grip, he clutched onto the back of Dean’s shirt. “Crane and, and Flickerman! They- you didn’t come back with them and-...” he closed his eyes.

“Yeah, cuz those two are the friggen poster children for trustworthiness, huh?” Dean finally wrapped his arms around Cass and squeezed him. “I’m alive. It’s gonna take more than a couple of B-list dickbags to take me out.” 

Castiel pulled back and pressed his lips to Dean’s, relaxing into him, his trembling stopping.

“Ooh, wait a minute… the prayer from Boondock Saints!  _ That’s  _ the one you shoulda gone with, Finn.” Dean pulled back slightly from Castiel but stayed close to him, one arm wrapped tightly around his waist. “You gotta do it with the accent though or it doesn’t count.” 

Castiel kept both hands on Dean, afraid he was going to disappear again. Finnick chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, whatever, Winchester. The hell were you anyways?”

Dean tensed, but it passed quickly. “Uhh… apparently Flickerman didn’t like my dog and pony show, so he sent me to Voldemort.” 

Castiel’s eyes widened as he looked to Dean. “He  _ what _ ?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, the guy’s just evil. I’ll let you guys decide if I’m talkin’ about Flickerman or Voldemort. Anyway, I had an enlightening little chat with our resident overlord and then booked it back to the training center.” 

At the insistence of pretty much everyone, Dean recounted his conversation with Voldemort. “Yeah, so… he’s a dick, end of story.” 

Rue’s eyes were wide. “And he just let you go?” 

Dean shook his head. “Killing me there wouldn’t have done him any good. He needs me to die in Purgatory. Needs us  _ all  _ to. I don’t entirely think he plans on anyone making it out alive this time.” 

“Yeah, well that bastard’s got another thing coming. I’m not dying because you idiots picked a fucking fight with the most powerful wizard alive.” Cato pushed himself off the wall and walked towards them. “And… neither are any of you. I’m on board now. What is this, Team Free Will or something?” 

Castiel grinned. “You know what… I like the sound of that.” 

 

\---------------------------

 

Later that evening, Flickerman and Crane returned to the house. They didn’t offer so much as an apology for the lie they told Castiel about Dean, but he wasn’t entirely surprised about that. 

They were transported this time to a sort of banquet hall. The walls were adorned with portraits, and Castiel recognized some of the previous Mudblood Games victors with what was undoubtedly the pureblood families they were placed with after winning. He found himself wondering where they were now; and if they’d succumbed to the life they were given or if they were fighting back, even silently. He contemplated their group for a moment and tried to work out who would be the next one to have their portrait hung here as an eternal reminder, if any of them survived at all. 

Each tribute took a seat in one of the rows of chairs that had been set up in front of a small stage. Gathered there were the professors that were allowed to sponsor tributes and the pureblood families that would be ‘adopting’ them. 

Flickerman walked to the front of the stage, his voice magically amplified even though it was quite unnecessary for the intimate space they were in. “It is time to find out who, if any of you, will be receiving help from a sponsor in this year’s Mudblood Games. This is the 13th annual Games, and as such, we have allowed a mix of thirteen professors and pureblood families. We had originally planned on having twelve tributes, but even the best laid plans sometimes go awry.” 

Dean snickered next to him. “That’s what they’re callin’ being outsmarted these days? Going awry?” 

Flickerman either didn’t hear Dean or simply didn’t care. “Each sponsor will take the stage, state what they’re offering, and who they’re choosing to give it to. If a sponsor decides  _ not  _ to gift anything, he or she or they will simply remain seated. I don’t expect we’ll hear a lot of talking this evening.” Flickerman smirked at Finnick and Newt, who were sitting closest to him. 

Rue, on Cass’s other side, scooted her chair closer to him. Cass reached a hand out and put it on her knee, squeezing gently. “It’s going to be alright, Rue. I’m sure you did amazing, they’re going to be tripping over themselves in order to sponsor you.” Rue bit her lip and remained silent, her eyes affixed to the stage. 

“Without further ado or fanfare, let us begin. And as always… may the odds be ever in your favour.” Flickerman stepped to the side, making room for the first of the sponsors. It was Professor McGonagall up first, and Cass was pleased to see she was stepping forward.  _ She’s chosen to sponsor someone!  _

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips as she looked out over the tributes. “As you well know, there is something more vital to life than magic itself. Water. With that said… I am gifting you all the spell, ‘ _ Aguamenti.’  _ This is normally taught to my N.E.W.T. level students, but I have been unable to do so the past several years. This spell will create water from nothing. May you use it well.” 

Castiel’s eyes widened as he let out a breath of relief. He hadn’t even thought about how vital something as simple as water could be. The hand that wasn’t on Rue’s knee moved to take Dean’s hand, squeezing it gently. 

Professor McGonagall stepped back, offering a sad, apologetic smile to them as if she was embarrassed she couldn’t do more. Professor Hanscum took her place, smiling more sweetly at the kids. “Hiya, long time no see, fellas!” She looked down at Rue. “And lady! Anywho, I don’t have a lot to offer, but what I can do, I will.” She reached into the bag she had slung over her shoulder, and pulled out a very large book. “It’s Goshawk's Guide to Herbology.” 

Rue’s eyes widened beside Castiel, looking over at him with hopeful eyes. Castiel nodded slowly.  _ It’s got to be for Rue. Come on, Professor Hanscum. _

Professor Hanscum shifted under the weight of the book. “I don’t know much about the plants you’ll find in Purgatory, but I bet with a book like this, Rue Marsh could have them all figured out in a day.” She set the heavy tome down on the ground in front of her and pointed her wand at it. “ _ Reducio.”  _ The book shrank down into a much more manageable size, and she held it out to Rue with a smile. “Just use  _ engorgio  _ when you need it back to its normal size. Use it well.” 

Rue grinned and stood slowly, taking the book from Professor Hanscum. “Thank you! I’ll use it incredibly well, I promise!” She sat down again, holding the book to her chest.

Next in line was Seneca Crane, as he was both the Dark Arts Professor and the Head of Slytherin House. He remained seated, waving a hand dismissively to signal he wasn’t going to sponsor anyone. 

Professor Mills quickly stood to take his place. She paced the stage slowly with her hands behind her back. “This was a tough one for me, guys, it really was. I wish I could sponsor you all, but rules are rules. Leave it to Professor McGonagall to find the loophole, though, am I right?” She smiled half-heartedly, and even that faded when she saw no one was returning it. “I wish I could do something to help more of you, but this little number is the best thing I’ve got.” She pulled her hands from behind her back to reveal a shimmering, almost translucent cloak. She put it on over her shoulders and disappeared completely from the neck down. “This one’s for you, Finnick. You’ve managed to sneak out of the common room enough times that I figured you’d appreciate the extra help hiding from people trying to catch you.” She pulled the Invisibility Cloak off of herself and tossed it down to Finnick, who caught it with a grin. “Use it well.” 

Finnick held the Cloak and looked up at Professor Mills, nodding a silent ‘thank you’ to her, before setting it on the table in front of him.

Caesar Flickerman stared almost jealously at the cloak, but fixed his attention back on the stage as Professor Cinna stepped forward. “Now, I don’t have a lot of fancy words, spells, or magical objects to hand out. I’m just a guy that loves the stars, and it seems I’m not the only one.” He conjured a thin, rolled up piece of parchment with his wand and caught it with his other hand. He looked down at Castiel. “May you always find your way in the darkness. Use it well.” He bowed his head and leaned off the stage, extending the scroll out to him. 

Castiel tilted his head but stood, stepping towards the stage as he took to the scroll. He nodded once to Professor Cinna. “Thank you.”

Professor Cinna winked at Castiel before returning to his seat, and when Castiel turned around to sit down again, Dean was rolling his eyes playfully. “I bet it’s a love note.” 

Castiel kicked him under the table as he sat down, wanting to unroll the parchment to see what it was, but deciding not to yet. He held it in his hand, brushing his thumb up and down.

Dean shifted in his seat as Professor Trinket exchanged places with Cinna. She looked nervous and sad, and her shrill voice cracked as she spoke. “Oh, these things always make me so emotional. Look at all of you, desperate for help and not knowing if you’re going to get it or not. It’s just  _ devastating.”  _ She wiped what appeared to be a fake tear from her face, and looked to Newt. “I know you have a connection to magical creatures. Even the most savage of beasts can be  _ charmed  _ by a bit of well-played music.” She waved her wand and conjured a harp, repeating the shrinking spell Professor Hanscum used to make the harp small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. “Use it --  _ play it  _ well.” She handed the tiny harp to Newt, and just maybe her tears became real as she sat back down. 

Professor Crowley stood up, his face the very picture of boredom. “Novak, congratulations. I’m gifting you the vial of Felix Felicis that you brewed during your trial. I damn near kept it for myself, it’s  _ that  _ good.” His rolled his eyes and tried to sound as though he was being put through some horrible ordeal, but it didn’t quite work. “May you find luck when you need it most. Use it well.” He tossed the vial to a  _ very  _ surprised Castiel, who caught it.  _ Two sponsors? _

To his left, Dean beamed. “Cass! Look at you go, man!” Cass blushed and nudged him with his shoulder. “Shut up.” 

When Professor Crowley took his seat, it was time for the pureblood families to decide whether they were sponsoring, adopting, or forsaking the Chosen. 

The first family that was given an opportunity to sponsor someone, the Avery family, passed. The man who appeared to be their representative just stood there staring blankly at all of them as if he’d never seen a room full of less impressive people. 

It came as little surprise to anyone when the notorious Malfoy family chose to adopt Cato. Lucius Malfoy made a show of presenting the various things they were gifting to Cato, who appeared to be trying very hard to look impressed. Sneak-o-scopes, something called a Hand of Glory which supposedly only brings light to the bearer, guns, swords, machetes, some sort of dried, compact food, blankets, and different layers of clothing like t-shirts and jackets and boots, all magically shrunk to fit in a single backpack. “I  _ know  _ you’ll use it well.” 

Cato bowed low and uttered a string of overly grateful thanks, but Castiel didn’t miss the way the muscles in his jaw flexed as though he was struggling to get the words past his lips. He sat down, setting the backpack between his legs. 

The next two families, the Snapes and the Lestranges, passed altogether. It seemed both of them had thought they’d adopt Cato, but only one family can bestow such an ‘honour’ on a tribute, and the Malfoy’s beat them to it by rank. 

Down to just two pureblood families, Castiel started to worry for Dean.  _ Why did I get two sponsors when he didn’t get any? Why doesn’t he look concerned?  _ Indeed, Dean seemed unperturbed by the notion that he wouldn’t be receiving any extra help.  _ Maybe he just understands that we’re all going to work together, so what is gifted to one is gifted to all?  _

When the woman in the next family stood up, Castiel sucked in a breath. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t place why. It became clear once she spoke. “My name is Walburga Black, and I am representing the Black family. We have chosen to adopt Dean Winchester, but we are only gifting him one thing - one thing which I believe will be enough to give him the…  _ competitive edge  _ he needs to emerge victorious.”  _ Black. That’s Sirius’s mom! It has to be, that’s why she looks so familiar! Same hair, same eyes… yes, that’s definitely Sirius Black’s mother. _

Dean blinked in confusion, but stood up. “Uhh… thanks? I guess?” 

Castiel studied Mrs. Black intently and noticed how desperately she seemed to be fighting a smile. She pulled a small gun out from her cloak and even from a distance, Castiel could recognize it as the one they’d used in the training center.  _ A single fucking gun? He gets picked by a pureblood family and all they give him is a fucking gun?  _ Castiel could feel his face heating in anger, but he forced himself to remain seated. With only one potential sponsor left, they were almost finished here and he would be able to properly express himself once they were away from this place. Dean took the gun from Mrs. Black, who seemed to hold her hand there a few moments longer than necessary as she said the customary phrase ‘use it well’, and he turned to walk back to his seat. Cass was startled to see the confused, disappointed look on Dean’s face. 

“Dean, what’s wrong? I thought that was your favourite gun,” Castiel whispered, concerned. 

Dean nodded absentmindedly, turning the gun over in his hand. “Yeah, yeah… it is. It’s just… I think it’s empty. It’s too light to be loaded. What good is a gun without ammo? Does she expect me to get close enough to pistol whip someone?” Dean’s voice was almost defeated in tone, but Castiel knew this wasn’t the time or place for that conversation. He simply reached for Dean’s hand again and looked back towards the stage. 

“And now, the representative from our last pureblood family. Please give your attention to Mr. Ludo Bagman!” 

Bagman sauntered forward with an easy grin on his face. “I am going to impart on you some knowledge, gentlemen and lady-child. Purgatory is fraught with terrors the likes of which none of you could possibly comprehend. So heed this - travel during the day, seek cover at night. Most of the beasts you will encounter are nocturnal, after all.” He grinned widely as if he’d just shared some earth-shattering secret with them all. 

Finnick broke the silence that followed. “That’s it? Your advice is to move when the monsters are asleep?” 

Bagman frowned deeply. “If that’s not good enough for you, I can alter your memories so you forget I ever tried to help you in the first place.” Finnick quickly sank back into his chair, shaking his head. “That’s what I thought.” 

Flickerman clapped his hands together. “Well, I think that concludes the Sponsoring Ceremony! If you’ll all gather your gifts, you can return back to the Holding Facility. Keep your possessions close to you tonight - more than one tribute has been robbed of their gifts in the middle of the night before the official beginning of the Mudblood Games. Tomorrow morning, you will be given a chance to eat one final meal - no time limit on this one, mind you, courtesy of the overly generous Lord Voldemort, and then you will be taken to the portal to the Purgatory arena where you will either walk through of your own accord or be bodily thrown in, it is your choice. Enjoy your last night, everyone. For some of you, I mean that quite literally.” 

Castiel desperately wanted to speak to Professor Cinna, or Professor Hanscum, or literally any professor at this point to try and get some insight about what was happening at Hogwarts. This want must have been anticipated, because the second Flickerman finished speaking and brought his voice back down to a normal volume, the Death Eaters in the room swarmed around the professors until every one of them Disapparated. 

Realizing there was nothing left for them here, each of the tributes stood up and gathered their things before making their way back to the PortKey that brought them there. They touched it and were transported back to the ‘holding facility,’ as Flickerman had called it, and were mercifully greeted by several flagons of butterbeer and two large bottles of Firewhiskey. 

Castiel didn’t hesitate this time before pouring himself a drink. Dean was right behind him, his hand outstretched for the bottle when Cass was finished. He handed it to him and took a long drink before pulling out the scroll that Professor Cinna gifted to him.

He stared at it for a long moment before finally unrolling it.

“What is it?” Dean asked, moving to stand by Castiel so he could see what it was. “Is that a star chart?”

Castiel squinted at it and nodded. “Yes, it’s a star chart, but I don’t recognize these constellations.” His eyes glanced over it as Castiel tilted his head when he noticed in black writing, on the bottom of the chart contained a note.

“ **You’ve always been my** **_brightest_ ** **star.** ” Castiel read aloud, his eyebrows raising. “I don’t understand.”

“You’ve been upgraded from student to star. Congratulations, Cass.” Dean chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t know what it’s for, but I doubt Professor Cinna would gift you something that wasn’t useful in Purgatory.”

Castiel let his eyes scan over the chart and the note at the bottom one more time before he rolled it up again, tucking it into his jacket. “What about the gun the Blacks gave you?” 

Dean pulled it out and turned it over in his hand. “The fucking thing isn’t loaded, it’s not gonna do me a damn bit of good. It’s got one,  _ maybe  _ two bullets in it tops?” 

Castiel nodded to it. “Look and see.” 

Dean released the chamber and his brows immediately furrowed. “What the -- there’s a note or somethin’ stuck in here where one of the bullets should be.” 

Castiel’s curiosity mounted. “A note? What does it say, Dean?” 

Dean unrolled the tightly bound parchment and his eyes flicked back and forth across it for several long moments. Cass watched in silence as Dean’s eyes repeatedly darted back up to the top of it as he re-read it half a dozen times. 

“C’mon, Winchester! What the hell does it say? Share with the class.” Finnick had joined them, looking over Castiel’s shoulder at Dean. 

Dean read aloud: 

**_Dean,_ **

**_Sirius is safe, thanks to you. He made it home just last night and told us everything. We have hidden him somewhere that You-Know-Who can’t find him. Words cannot express how grateful we are to you and the other children for helping Sirius escape that horrible fate. Should you be the one to make it out, I assure you your life here will be pleasant. I will never ask you to do something you’re not comfortable with, and I’m sure Sirius would love to have the company._ **

**_Oh, he wishes that I tell you that he stopped at Hogwarts first before coming home. The other escaped tributes are all safe, as is your brother Samuel. You and the others have started quite a movement there. The Death Eaters have been thrown out of the castle entirely by the Headmaster and some of the professors. Your brother is quite the leader, so I’m told._ **

**_We’re all rooting for you, Dean. Stay safe._ **

**_With gratitude,_ **

**_Walburga Black_ **

 

There were tears in Dean’s eyes as he finished reading and pulled the letter close to his chest. Castiel’s heart swelled with hope and gratitude because he suddenly understood why Walburga Black thought this singular gift would turn the tide for Dean. The news that both his brother and his best friend were safe would be  _ exactly  _ that - a change in tide. He pulled Dean close to him and rested his head on his shoulder as Dean wrapped his arms tightly around him, his body vibrating. “That’s excellent news, Dean. I’m so - I’m so grateful to her for finding a way to tell you.” 

It seemed this news was enough to shatter what little control Dean had over his emotions, because for the first time since volunteering... Dean broke down and sobbed. 


	10. Midnight Confessions

_ Dean _

 

It took Dean an embarrassingly long time to quit crying. Finnick had laughed himself hoarse at the sight, but Dean didn’t care. His friends were safe, his  _ brother  _ was safe. He was better than that, he was fighting back. “ _ You’re brother is quite the leader.”  _ The words settled in Dean’s chest and he didn’t think he’d ever been more proud of Sammy. 

He laid in bed now on their last night before the trip to Purgatory and looked over at Cass. “I’m uhh… yeah. Sorry about that.” 

Castiel rolled his eyes but smiled anyway. “You don’t need to apologize, Dean. Your brother and your best friend are safe, I’m sure that’s a huge relief.”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, you got no friggen idea. I mean, I figured they would be, but hearin’ that it’s true is… well, I needed that.” 

Castiel rolled onto his side so he was facing Dean. “And the Blacks adopted you. That’s pretty awesome.”

“Yeah, I mean… it coulda been worse, that’s for sure. I coulda been picked by the Malfoys or the Lestranges.” Dean huffed a laugh. “I think I’d rather just stay in Purgatory.” 

Castiel grinned and closed his eyes. “I can understand why. The Malfoys are…” Castiel shuddered. “Bad.  Just bad.”

“You know they pulled their kid, Draco, out of Hogwarts and sent him to Durmstrang because he wasn’t learning enough fucked up shit at Hogwarts?” Dean raised his eyebrows, rolling closer to Cass. “That’s what I heard anyway.” 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if that were true. He’ll fit in perfectly there.” Castiel nodded, opening his eyes again.

Dean shook his head. “It’s just nuts, what kinda fucked up parents actually  _ want  _ their kids to learn the Dark Arts? I thought what Crane was teaching us at Hogwarts was bad enough.” Dean reached over and took one of Castiel’s hands, interlocking their fingers and trying not to make a big deal out of it. 

Castiel looked to their hands and shrugged. “It’s just the same as Cato’s parents selling him out to You-Know-Who to get him tossed in the games. It’s messed up in various ways.”

“Why do you do that?” Dean asked, curiosity in his voice. “Call him You-Know-Who, I mean. I know a lot of people do that, but it’s just a name, y’know? It’s not like he’s gonna eat you if you call him Voldemort.” 

Castiel chuckled. “No, but Nagini might. When my dad used to teach me magic he always referred to…” he cleared his throat “as You-Know-Who. I didn’t know who he was referring to until I learned about Lord- You-Know-Who from a book. I asked my dad if that’s who it was referencing and he got mad, but I think it was because he was scared.”

Dean shuddered at the memory of the giant snake. “Yeah, okay. I’ll give you the Nagini thing. But I don’t know, I mean…  _ my  _ dad always told me that ‘fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself,’ so… I guess I just never bothered callin’ him anything other than what he was actually called.”

“And you’re still alive to tell the story, so maybe nothing bad happens. I don’t know, just the thought of…” Castiel lowered his voice significantly, “Lord Voldemort is terrifying.”

Dean grinned. “Ehh, it was kinda disappointing, actually. I don’t know what I expected to see, but he wasn’t it. It looked like he spent too much time in the special effects trailer on a movie set or somethin’. He didn’t even look real. It was more…  _ unsettling  _ than scary, really.”

Castiel nodded and smiled slightly. “I don’t know why I believed them when they told me they had killed you. Flickerman he- he smiled and he  _ actually _ looked sympathetic. I don’t know, Dean.”

“Flickerman looking sympathetic shoulda been your first clue it wasn’t real. I don’t think that guy would understand sympathy or empathy if it smacked him across the face with a metal death stick.” Dean breathed a laugh and started rubbing his thumb over the back of Castiel’s hand.

Castiel closed his eyes again and moved even closer to Dean. “I’m just glad it was a lie, honestly. A terrible, messed up lie, but at least it was one.”

Dean kissed the top of his head. “What, would you miss me or somethin’, angel?” 

Castiel grinned but shook his head. “Me? Miss you? No, I don’t think I would.”

Dean chuckled, and the words were out before he could rethink them or make any attempt to stop them. “Yeah, yeah. I love you, too.” He stiffened and his eyes widened.  _ Maybe he didn’t hear me.  _

Castiel’s eyes opened quickly and he pushed himself up on his elbows so he could see Dean’s face. “What did you say?”

Everything was suddenly very hot. “Uhh… nothin’, I didn’t -- I didn’t say anything.” 

“No, no you did.” Castiel flicked his eyes back and forth between Dean’s. “Please, Dean… what did you say?”

Dean let out a slow breath as he studied Cass’s face. On instinct, he wanted to try and play it off as a joke, and maybe he would have if they weren’t 24 hours out from certain death. He reached his other hand up and brushed his thumb along Cass’s cheekbone. “I said… that I love you, dumbass. Maybe you need to get your ears checked before Purgatory. You think they’ve got doctors here?” He smiled, hoping Cass would see it for what it was. 

Castiel didn’t move for a long moment, he just kept his eyes on Dean, before shifting them to Dean’s mouth, his voice coming out in a whisper. “I love you too, Dean.”

Dean used the hand still on Cass’s face to wrap it around and pull him down, kissing him. This was probably  _ much  _ easier than words, anyway. 

 

\----------------------

 

They had fallen asleep at some point, their bodies wrapped around each other. Dean woke up, his eyes adjusting to the still-dark room. He tilted his head down to see Cass still sleeping with his head on his chest and snoring quietly. Dean smiled, squeezing him gently and wondering how long they could stay like this before someone came and physically removed them. Judging by the patch of sky that was visible out the window, they had maybe four or five hours left until it was time to go through the portal. He shifted his leg, bringing it up higher between Cass’s. He tilted his angel’s chin up and kissed him gently. “Wake up, sunshine.” 

Castiel moved around slightly but opened his eyes, bringing his hands to his face to rub his eyes. “Oh. Oh, good morning.”

Dean knew it was very much  _ not  _ a good morning. This was October 1st, but worse… much worse, because it wasn’t the Choosing they were headed to - it was the actual Games. “Did you sleep okay? I’m sorry I woke you up so early, I just… guess I wanted to spend some more time with you when we weren’t fightin’ off vamps and werewolves and shit.” 

Castiel smiled through his yawn and shook his head. “I don’t mind that you woke me up, Dean. I slept alright, just a little bit nervous, I suppose.”

“Don’t be. Whatever is gonna happen is gonna happen, but we’re gonna be okay. I can’t tell ya how I know that, I just… do.” Dean leaned down and kissed Cass’s cheek. “Did they say what time our breakfast was gonna be?” 

Cass shook his head as his eyes closed again. “No, but they said that there was no time limit this time, so that’s something.”

“Yeah, but we gotta take it easy. I was thinkin’ about it, and these bastards have never done anything nice for us. I think they  _ want  _ us to eat like pigs after starvin’ for days. Maybe they think it’ll make us sick, or slow us down or somethin’ when we get there. Make us easy targets cuz we’ll be slow.” Dean’s stomach growled at the thought of food, but he suppressed the urge. “I’m not sayin’ we shouldn’t eat… just that we need to be smart about it.” 

Castiel nodded slowly. “And I suppose you want to get up and warn the others about it, right?”

Dean glanced out the window again. “I think we’ve got some time, but yeah. Since we’re all on the same side, I don’t want them slowing us down either.” 

“I understand, that makes sense. I just… it’s going to be a while until you and I can share a bed again. I doubt Purgatory is going to have them.” He frowned, opening his eyes.

Dean kissed him quickly. “I’m not going anywhere yet.” 

Castiel’s frown slowly turned to a smile as he nodded. “Good, I’m glad. Do you think we’ll all be in the same spot when we step through the portal?”

Dean shook his head. “No, I’m almost positive that we won’t. I have a feeling when we step through, we’re gonna end up in different places, probably nowhere near the portal. Unless there’s more than one, in which case… we might stay together at the beginning. Either way, I have a couple of different ideas about how we can find each other, but I’ll save those for when everyone else is awake, too.” 

Castiel nodded but tensed, squeezing his eyes shut. “Rue… she can’t… if she’s alone she…”

He tightened his grip on Cass. “We’ll find her, angel. I’m not gonna let anything happen to either one of you, okay?” 

Castiel bit his lip and pressed his body against Dean more, shivering. “Okay.”

Dean fell silent, running his hand up and down Cass’s back. He knew he just made a promise he couldn’t keep, but he also knew that deep down, Cass wouldn’t expect him to. They were just kids, and this is what kids tell each other when they’re facing certain death. 

They stayed like that for as long as Dean dared, but when he saw the sun start to come up, he knew it was time. “Cass, angel, I know this sucks, but we gotta get up now.” 

Castiel shifted and pulled back from Dean, swallowing hard. “Yes, you’re right.”

Every part of Dean felt strangely empty without Cass pressed up against him, but he forced himself to move before he could lose his nerve. He got out of the bed and opened the top drawer in the single dresser they had in the room. “Looks like they got us new clothes.” He pulled out a dark red long sleeved t-shirt with a yellow number five on it. “Five? I don’t get it.” He dug around further and pulled out a mustard yellow shirt with a black number six on it. “This one must be yours, but I really don’t get it.” He tossed the shirt to Cass and was pleased to find they’d been given regular jeans and boots to wear. He got dressed quickly. 

Castiel sat up and pulled the shirt on tilting his head. “Sam was the fifth year tribute, right? Charlie was the sixth. They’re organizing us by our Houses and years, though I suppose if you volunteer you don’t get the courtesy of having your own year on your shirt.”

“Right, yeah. I guess we took their places, so it makes some sort of sense. I wonder what they’re gonna do about the missing Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin sixth years and the Ravenclaw fifth year. Probably nothin’, unless those bastards managed to find people to take their places.” He was suddenly very concerned about this and whirled around to face Cass. “They can’t do that, right? They won’t have had training or a chance to get sponsors.” 

“They can’t do that. If Headmaster Shurley got rid of all the Death Eaters at Hogwarts, he wouldn’t let them take more students. They’re allowed to choose twelve, they got their twelve. That’s it.” Castiel rolled out of the bed and grabbed a pair of jeans, shifting on his feet before pulling them on.

“Okay, yeah, but I’m just sayin’... I wouldn’t put it past them to bring muggles into this just to fill the spots.” He shuddered at the thought and walked towards the door. “You ready for this?” 

Castiel finished tying up his boots and stood straight, looking to Dean. He seemed to have an internal battle with himself before he nodded once. “Yes.”

Dean wasn’t surprised. After everything Cass had told him he’d been through, it made sense that he’d put on a brave face and be able to handle this better than anyone else. Dean smiled sadly. “C’mon, then.” He opened the door and then reached his hand out behind him for Cass’s. “Together.”

Cass took Dean’s hand quickly and squeezed it. “Together.”

He led Cass out of the bedroom and back to the meeting room, where they were greeted by Newt, Finnick and Rue. Beetee walked in a few moments later, and the group sat down at the big table. 

“Anyone seen Cato or the other one?” Dean asked, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

Rue shook her head. “Finnick and I have been up for hours, they haven’t shown up yet.”

Dean bit his bottom lip and then stood back up. “We gotta talk, but as a group. I’ll be back in a minute.” He walked out to Cato’s room and knocked. “Hey, rise and shine.” 

A few moments later, Cato opened the door, already dressed in his dark green Slytherin shirt with the silver ‘7’ on it. He saw it was Dean and turned his head back into the room to somewhere out of Dean’s line of sight. “C’mon, Carrow. It’s showtime.” 

Dean didn’t wait to greet Alecto, he turned on his heel and walked back to the meeting room and took his place next to Cass. Cato and Carrow filed in shortly after, and once everyone was seated, Dean cleared his throat. “Alright guys, today’s the day. Now, I know nobody really wants to think about what’s to come, but we have to. We need to be prepared.” He looked around at each of their faces, his chest tightening. “First thing’s first. It’s gonna be a free-for-all at breakfast today, but don’t overdo it. I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that they want us to stuff our faces and suffer for it later, so make sure you eat - but do it slowly and don’t gorge yourselves, got it?” 

Finnick looked at Dean in mock horror. “Good grief, if Winchester is turning down free food, it  _ must  _ be serious.” His expression went back to normal and he nodded. “In all honesty, I was thinking the same thing. I’m just glad I wasn’t the one that had to tell  _ you  _ to go easy on the pancakes this morning.” 

Newt looked between them both. “But there’s not going to be food like this in Purgatory, shouldn’t we eat so we have enough energy to sustain ourselves for…  _ God  _ knows how long?”

Dean shook his head. “First of all, eating like a cow will only buy you maybe an extra day, if that. Our bodies are already getting used to barely eating, if you stuff yourself now, it’s gonna throw that off. Trust me, nobody wants to sit here and eat like it’s friggen Thanksgiving more than me, but we gotta be smart about this. I’m tellin’ you… eat until you’re full, but stop there and eat  _ slow.  _ Don’t let the fear of what’s to come make you keep eating.” 

Castiel nodded in agreement. “You’re allowed to eat, it’s going to be nice to not have a time limit. But that came from You-  _ Voldemort,  _ and I don’t think he did it out of the kindness of his heart.”

Dean smiled encouragingly at Cass because he finally called Voldemort by his name. “Alright, so that’s settled. Onto the next uh… item on the agenda. We’re probably gonna get separated when we get to Purgatory. Our first step should be finding at least one other person, but try to find as many of us as you can.” 

Rue moved closer to Cass as he looked down at her. “We’ll find you, Rue. You don’t have to worry, okay?”

Rue nodded slowly. “Okay. I’ll just- I’ll walk in one direction.”

“That’s actually where I was going with this, Rue, good work. So, I have no idea what kinda terrain we’re gonna be dealing with in Purgatory. There’s not a lot of lore about it, at least none that I’ve ever found, so we’re going in blind. But if you do this…” Dean pulled his wand out and rested it flat on his open palm. “ _ Point Me.”  _ The wand swivelled and stopped, now pointing somewhere to Dean’s left. “It’s called the Four-Point spell; basically it makes your wand act like a muggle compass and will point you north from wherever you’re at. If we all do it and all walk north, eventually we’re gonna find each other. I figure if we add  _ periculum  _ in there every hundred yards or so, we should start to see red sparks from other tributes pretty soon. So head north and watch out for sparks, that make sense to everyone?”

Everyone nodded, as Cato looked to Dean. “You know, that’s actually a smart plan.”

Dean’s eyes found Cato and he searched for sarcasm where there seemingly was none, but he immediately started searching for flaws in his own plan just the same. “Yeah, unless we’re not the only things in there that are attracted by red sparks. Maybe we should amend that from every hundred yards to every two hundred yards, and don’t send them up after dark.” 

Castiel looked to Dean. “Dean, your plan is good, okay? Don’t stress about it, your plan is good.”

Dean shifted uncomfortably. The last time he thought a plan was good, it had disastrous consequences for all of them.  _ But four people got out. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but let’s be honest… it worked out better than you coulda dreamed it would. This one will be the same, listen to them.  _ He nodded. “Yeah, okay. So that’s what we’ll do if we’re separated at the jump. Any uhh… any questions?” 

Everyone shook their heads as the food appeared on the table in front of them. Dean’s initial instinct was to dig in quickly like he always did, but he forced himself to show some restraint. He focused on slowly bringing his hand up and filling his plate, only taking half of what he actually wanted. He picked up a fork and slowly stabbed a chunk of roasted potato and brought it to his mouth, deliberately chewing slowly.  _ Lead by example, Winchester. If you’re brother is leading some kinda rebellion at Hogwarts, you can show a few people how to eat without gorging themselves.  _

Castiel followed Dean’s lead and looked around to see everyone else doing the same thing. He nudged Dean and shifted his eyes around the table.

Dean followed Cass’s gaze as he chewed on a piece of grilled chicken. His shoulders relaxed when he realized that for the most part, it seemed like people were listening. He didn’t know why he had such a strong feeling about this, and maybe he was overreacting - but it was better safe than sorry, especially now. 

They ate in silence, the lack of sound broken only by the scraping of silverware on quickly emptying plates. When it seemed like everyone was done, Dean nodded. “So uh… I guess it’s gonna be time then, huh? Didn’t they say they were coming pretty much right after breakfast?” 

“We did, and here we are.” Flickerman and Crane appeared, grinning evilly. “How’s everyone feeling? Great, I don’t care.” Crane looked around the table.

Dean rolled his eyes. “Better than you, by the looks of it. What’s the matter, Flickerman? Not sleeping well?” 

Flickerman raised his eyebrow. “I’m sleeping perfectly fine, Mr. Winchester. Thank you for your concern. Now, would everyone like one last little update before we go?” 

Dean’s jaw clenched,fighting the urge to yell out that he already knew everyone else was safe thanks to Mrs. Black’s letter, but he remained silent. Finnick, however, did not. “We don’t give a shit about whatever lies you’re about to tell. Save it.” 

Flickerman squinted at Finnick. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at him. “How about  _ you _ save it.  _ Silencio!” _

Dean was on his feet before Flickerman got the full word out. His heart was pounding in his chest and adrenaline coursed through him, but he was done letting Flickerman and Crane harass them. He moved behind Flickerman and pointed his own wand at the side of the man’s throat. “You’re outnumbered, asshat. Maybe it’s time  _ you  _ learned a little bit of fucking respect. Undo it.” 

Flickerman tensed, but didn’t move to undo it. “Make me, Mr. Winchester.”

Those words had always been dangerous for Dean. From being a kid and chasing Sammy around the house to much more intimate contexts, Dean had always taken those words as a challenge he couldn’t back down from. He glanced once at Cato and Finnick, refusing to look at Cass because he might lose his nerve. Cato stood at the cue, pointing his own wand at Crane as Dean focused his mind entirely on the task at hand and growled, “ _ Imperio.”  _

Dean had only had to cast this spell once, last year in his own Dark Arts class. He’d heard the stories about what happened in Castiel’s, and his had been mild by comparison. But Dean knew what to look for in the spell, and he could feel the moment Flickerman submitted.

Castiel’s eyes widened as he pushed himself off the wall, watching Dean. “Dean, what the hell are you doing?!”

Dean ignored Cass. “Go on, Caesar. Let him go.” His voice was challenging and low, his wand still jabbed into the side of his neck. 

Flickerman’s movements were almost robotic as he pointed his wand at Finnick, undoing the curse. “ _ Finite incantatem.”  _

Finnick cursed loudly at Flickerman, and Dean got yet another stupid, stupid idea. He was almost sweating with the effort of retaining control of Flickerman, but he looked at Cass. “Do it to Crane. I know you can. Do it, do it now!” 

Castiel swallowed hard but nodded, seemingly putting his full trust in Dean. He pulled his wand out and pointed it at Seneca Crane. “ _ Imperio!”  _ Crane had been attempting to draw his own wand when Castiel’s control swept over him. Dean’s heart was beating rapidly, if they failed now, they were dead for sure. 

Dean set his jaw, silently commanding Flickerman to take Beetee and Carrow back to Hogwarts. In a quick movement, Flickerman had ahold of them both and Disapparated out of the house. Dean swallowed hard; he knew the curse worked long distance but had no idea if he was strong enough to hold it. He silently prayed to whatever gods were listening that the bond his and Castiel’s wands shared was enough to keep both curses intact until everyone was safe. 

Flickerman appeared again moments later, looking bewildered. “Why did I do that?” 

Dean had a moment of panic where he knew his control of Flickerman was waning. He could barely hear over the sound of his own blood rushing through his veins, but his eyes sought out Cass.  _ Breath. In, out. In, out.  _ Like before, he allowed his breathing to match Castiel’s until it steadied enough to continue. He re-focused his efforts on keeping Flickerman under the influence of the Imperius Curse as he heard Castiel command Crane to take Finnick and Newt, and he heard the familiar  _ whoosh  _ as the three disappeared. 

Dean reached his hand out to Rue. “Come on, little Rue. You’re gonna go with Cato, okay? And Cato’s gonna make sure you’re okay,  _ aren’t you, Cato?”  _ Dean’s eyes and wand were still focused on Flickerman, but he made his voice as threatening as possible under the circumstances. 

Rue looked between Cass, Dean, and Cato and nodded silently, moving to stand near Flickerman.

Cato looked at Dean. “What about you and Novak?”

“We can’t go until everyone else is out, I don’t think my concentration will hold through Apparating. Just go, we’ll meet you guys at Hogwarts. If something goes wrong, you tell my brother -- you tell him--” Dean’s words were lost in his throat. What could he possibly convey to his brother in a single sentence? “Just go. Flickerman, take Cato and Rue back to Hogwarts.” 

The man obeyed, but his eyebrows were furrowed like he wasn’t quite sure why he was waiting. They disappeared and Dean squeezed his eyes shut, trying to throw all of his remaining energy into controlling him from such a long distance. 

He felt the moment Flickerman snapped out of it. Dean’s eyes shot open, and he looked to Cass with wide, terrified eyes. “I lost him. Cass, run!” 

Castiel’s eyes widened. “Run?! Run where?!”

Dean was frozen. “I don’t --” His words were cut off when he was hit by a stunning spell. Flickerman had returned, holding Rue by the back of her dark yellow shirt, his features contorted in anger. “Oh, you’ll pay for this, Winchester.” 

Castiel looked between Rue, Flickerman, Crane and Dean. He pulled his wand out and pointed it in the direction of Crane and Flickerman. “ _ Obliviate!” _

Both of the men dropped their wand arms and looked around, bewildered as the Memory Charm did its job. Flickerman let go of Rue, who was shaking with what Dean assumed were unshed tears. “What --” Flickerman turned around. “Where is everyone else?” 

Dean stood back up. “See, I knew you weren’t getting enough sleep. You already took the others, you son of a bitch, they’re already in fucking Purgatory. You said you were saving the best for last, which was why you left us here.” 

Castiel pulled Rue away from Flickerman and shifted his eyes to Dean, nodding slightly. “Yes, you two took the other tributes already.”

Flickerman straightened his cloak. “Erm, right. Well then, let’s not waste any more time. I’m eager to see the back of you three.” Flickerman nodded to Crane, who then grabbed Castiel and Rue and disappeared. He turned his gaze to Dean. “I really should just kill you now and be done with it, but we’re already four tributes short. And in the end, what difference does it make if you live a couple of extra days?” 

_ Nine, you smug son of a bitch. You’re nine tributes short, you’re just too thick to realize it.  _ Dean shrugged. “Let’s go then. Adventure awaits, am I right?” 

  
  
  


**END OF PART TWO**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! That's Part Two. Part Three is already written, and will be posted soon as well. This will now be five parts, because this story ran away with us in ways we didn't expect. I hope you're enjoying it as much as we are.


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